


Pledgling

by Havokftw



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Fraternity, BUTITWASNTINTENTIONALISWEAR, Beta-Tau-Sigma is BTS DUH, CHEERLEADERKINK, Christmas Fluff, College, Coming Out, Daddy Kink, Dubious Consent, Facials, Fluff and Angst, Gay Sex, Hazing, Lingerie, M/M, Mildly Dubious Consent, PEARLNECKLACE, PHONESMUT, Phone Sex, SLIGHTRAPEYVIBE, Sexy Times, Taxidermy, Verkwan-if-you-squint, Violence, WATCHTHEFUCKOUT4CHAPTER7!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-20
Updated: 2016-12-05
Packaged: 2018-08-10 02:02:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 23
Words: 165,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7825909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Havokftw/pseuds/Havokftw
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jihoon gets mistaken for a rival fraternity's new mascot and is kidnapped by Seungcheol and his peers. As with all my stories...I'm really just aiming for smut asap. That's how I roll.</p><p>Sorry that first summary was a big fecking lie...I didn't actually churn out the smut until chapter 10 cause I like to torture myself obviously. I had good intentions though-believe you me ^_^</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a friend of a friend's account of a pledge gone wrong. I've obviously taken many liberties with their account of events to fulfil my smut quota for the week. There was no Greek chapters at my college, I don't how the system works honestly, so I am relying on some second hand information.

Before the dawn of time-or as it is recorded in the charter at the Sigma-Chi-Tau Fraternity Chapter house- the main fraternities at KSU have always competed with each other. Despite the colleges warning about an emergence of dangerous trends in fraternity rivalry and the looming threat of disciplinary action on those houses caught participating, the tradition is still practiced.

Every year for the last 29 years- Sigma-Chi-Tau have competed with rival fraternities during pledge season, always working to one up each other and retaliating in kind with their own form of revenge, but always under the radar and always with a degree of wit and charm to reduce the misperception that the rivalry had been reduced to nothing but a violent college prank.

The tradition worked well to initiate new pledges. What better way to initiate pledges then have them demonstrate loyalty to the house and seal their bid with the chapter. It worked to both unite and entertain them in what had developed into a healthy rivalry amongst the various frats.

As the newly initiated chapter president of Sigma-Chi-Tau, Choi Seungcheol wanted to distance himself and his current frat roster from the previous year’s humiliating defeat at the hands of Beta-Tau-Sigma and their subsequent attempt at retaliation which resulted in considerable property damage, eviction, eminent probation and the destruction of the old and beloved Beta-Tau-Sigma Mascot; The Angel.

“So…any ideas. Remember after last years… _disaster_ we need to keep it clean..ish? We can’t be under probation again” Seungcheol announces to his fraternity assembled.

“We could TP their frat house?” Wonwoo suggests “It’s an oldie, but a goodie”

A chorus of disapproval sounds throughout the room.

“Yes, It’s a classic Wonwoo, but pretty unimaginative don’t ya think?” DK says pointedly

“How about we switch their shampoo with hair removal cream?” Hoshi shouts excitedly

“That’s sounds pretty dangerous Hosh, what if that shit gets in their eyes?” Jun warns.

“Then they won’t have any eyebrows…or eyelashes for a while…what’s the big deal?” Hoshi defends his underhanded tactics.

“We could super-glue their toilet seats? Think of the chaos?!” Dino chirps in.

“Ohhhh…that’s not a bad ide…”

“No, It’s been done already, 4 years ago I think, that’s almost _too_ predictable, they would be ready for something like that” Seungcheol affirms.

“C’mon guys we need something more creative, think bigger, edgier, it doesn’t have to be dangerous to be good” Mingyu says.

“I know!” Hoshi shouts again “ I have a plan…We wait till they are all sleeping then we creep into their house, head straight for the bathroom, and stick their toothbrushes up our butts!”

“Uhhhh” Seungcheol stutters

“Gross” Jun claims

“No, jesus Christ Hoshi what the fuck is wrong with you” DK dismisses the idea.

“You guys are disappointing me with the lack of originality here, we need something that says 'don’t mess with Sigma-Chi-Tau', but subtle enough not to get us on the Dean’s radar again. Something that will get us some retribution for last year, without damaging their property or destroying their mascot” DK suggests

“We could steal their new mascot and hold it hostage?” Vernon speaks up.

“………..actually, that ideas not half bad” Seungcheol says. Technically it’s theft but they could get away with holding the mascot hostage for a few weeks until the opposing frat relented.

“What _is_ their new mascot anyway?” DK asks.

“The Beta-Tau-Sigma _Fairy_ ” Wonwoo confirms. “It’s like ‘The Angel’ but it’s…uhh…. _pink_ ”

“Wow….Lame” Jun states bluntly.

“What do you expect, its Beta-Tau-Sigma, their old mascot was lame, their new mascot is lame, they are the very definition of lame” Hoshi explains.

“Alright then its settled, pledges……honour your house by completing this task. Go forth and Steal the Beta-Tau-Sigma Mascot and bring us glory….but like seriously, no property damage this time guys” Seungcheol says.

 

...............................................

Jihoon had always preferred to know exactly where he stood with people, which is why he acted so blunt and rash almost _all_ of the time. What people perceived as arrogance and loathsome disregard for social etiquette was actually his way of putting all his character flaws on the table. Simply put, he felt no need to fool himself as to people's opinion of him. That being said he wasn’t sure how he got himself into this situation. But the obvious course of action was to blame Seungkwan. It was his idea after all to spend Rush week exploring Greek row, party crawling from frat to frat till their insides combusted from alcohol poisoning. Why he has agreed to go along for the inevitable disastrous outing- he would never quite comprehend but it may have had something to do with the anxiety of not fitting in that invades everyone when they first arrive at college, intense boredom and wishing to distance himself as much as possible from his irritating and insanely weird home-schooled roommate.

He had managed to remain sufficiently sober at the first few parties to be enslaved with the thankless role of designated frat crawl leader amongst his friends. So was now tasked with guiding the sorry bunch wilfully from frat house to frat house, accompanied by a loud and un-requested soundtrack of cheesy 90’s boy band renditions courtesy of drunk Seungkwan and tipsy Jeonghan.  

At the fourth house party of the night he chose to take respite from the thudding in his head and hold back near the front entrance of the house whilst Seungkwan, Joshua and Jeonghan entered.  He stood starring at the night sky under the porch, contemplating on whether it would be wise to abandon his motley crew and head back to the dorm when his attention was drawn to the display in the front lawn where the new Beta-Tau-Sigma mascot memorial stood. Walking around to face the display he is aware that the statue of the mascot is absent, no doubt kept safely inside whilst the drink revellers paraded the grounds.

He only had a moment to contemplate this when he subconsciously registered some whistling and a hushed _“that’s him, get him!”_ whispered from behind when his vision suddenly turned dark. He instinctively yelped out loud, arms and legs flailing convulsively as he was seized and held by an unseen force.

……………………………………………

Jihoon jolted as he was unceremoniously dumped on the floor by his captors, he stayed still sprawled on the ground for a moment, confused, afraid and not a little curious as to their intent. When the sack was pulled from his head he opened his eyes slowly, vision bleary as it adjusted to the sudden assault of light piercing his retinas.

The lethargic lull that had blanketed him most of the journey lifted almost immediately, replaced by an unexpected barrage of rage causing him to kick out and thrash at his captors.

“Stop kicking, fuck that hurt” A slim, blonde haired male attests.

Jihoon splutters to full consciousness, giving his captors a highly alarmed look before renewing his efforts and kicking and thumping everyone in reach.

“Feisty little guy isn’t he?” Hoshi says

“Hold his legs down before he…..oww fuck” Jihoon offers a hum of victory as his knee collides with one captor’s jaw and he plows on with renewed force until they are forced to sit on his legs to subdue him.

“You’re making this harder for yourself dude” DK screeches, nursing his bruised cheek whilst trying to maintain his grip on the bound captive.

“I can’t believe we pulled it off, WE did it guys! We _kidnapped_ the Beta-Tau-Sigma mascot!” Dino announced cheerfully in disbelief.

Jihoon’s face turned an interesting shade of red at the announcement, and he sputters feebly against his gag for several moments, apparently caught between humiliation and fury.

“Hmmm nnn a mssss” _*I’m NOT A MASCOT*_ he screams in vain through the duct tape covering his mouth.

“What’s that?” Hoshi asks as he promptly pulls the tape off.

“I’m not a mascot” He repeats unmuted “I don’t know who you are or what you think you’re doing, but I’m gonna give you **one** chance to untie me and maybe I’ll just castrate **one** of you” he threatens.

Silence fills them room as the pledges eyes dart to one another anxiously. “Ok….we’re _definitely_ not letting you go now” Vernon claims.

“I’m not their mascot!” He repeats pushing feebly against the weight on his legs.

“Off course you would say that,  the Beta-Tau-Sigma mascot would _never_ admit to being in such a shitty fraternity” Hoshi offers

“I’m _not_ in Beta-Tau Sigma, I’m not even in a fraternity you morons! I was just at their house party with some friends!” he protested to his captive audience.

 _“Surrrrree”_ Hoshi says disbelieving.

“I don’t know man, why would Beta-Tau Sigma have a real living person as their mascot…and he seems pretty pissed off, aren’t mascots meant to be…friendly and… _welcoming?_ Jun offers

“Where is Seungcheol and Wonwoo?” Mingyu asks, hoping for some clarification on the issue.

“I don’t know what shitty pledge game you guys are playing but it has nothing to do with me and I’d like for you to release me now so that I can bitch slap each and every one of you” Jihoon spits.

They pause their conversation, seeming to consider his threat for a moment “I think we should put the duct tape back on” Dino requests.

“Agreed” they all say in unison.

“Hmmff” Jihoon groans as he is silenced again, he’s faintly aware of his eyes drooping with exhaustion and his captors discussing and agreeing to “wait for more orders” and he’s left to wallow in the darkness without anything to relieve the numbness in his arms and the raging headache that’s threatening to render him useless, or more so than before.

“What do we have here? Are you guys back already? I’m impressed” Seungcheol commends as he enters the room to survey their effort. “What's…..what are you guys doing? And who is this?” he asks, eyeing Jihoon tied up on the living room floor.

“Uhmm. _This_ is the Beta-Tau-Sigma mascot” Hoshi motions to the figure prone on the floor

“nnnnn” _*NO*_ Jihoon muffles in response.

Wonwoo stares at him, open mouthed, for at least a solid minute before speaking “Really?” he asks turning from the fascinating display to nod once at Seungcheol.

“Wow, he’s…he’s a living- breathing _person_ ….I thought their mascot would be..like a statue or an empty costume.…although. He does look a _little_ like a fairy… sorta small and…he is _kinda_ pink” Seungcheol said grinning, taking in the appearance of the frustrated captive and reaching out to ruffle the head of his freshly dyed pink hair.

Irritation flared, but Jihoon remained still, well aware that his pride was a luxury he could not afford at this moment considering the circumstances, though he couldn't completely ignore the sting of that comment.

“And he was at the Beta-Tau-Sigma party, just chillin, not a care in the world… kidnapping him was a piece of cake really..…OUCH” Hoshi winced, hopping dramatically on one leg as he was kicked in the shin by their tied up captive.

Seungcheol grinned even wider, kneeling down and pulling the tape away from the muffled voice before asking “How’s it going _fairy?_ ” Jihoon regarded him for a moment, dark eyes sparkling in unkempt fury.

“I’M NOT A FUCKING MASCOT YOU DICKHEAD” he screamed.

“WOAH, ok so we are just gonna put this back on” Seungcheol quickly moved to replace the limping duct tape on the smaller boy’s mouth as he continued to screech in protest. Seungcheol’s grin faded slightly, his expression turning serious. "I dunno guys….this doesn’t make any sense,  are you sure you have the right mascot…he doesn’t seem to think he is…. but then…."

…….wouldn't you expect that from the Beta Tau Sigma mascot…to deny that he is _in-fact_ their mascot?” Hoshi offers, trying to explain Jihoon’s protests away.

“Hmmm..Yeah…..that does make sense…yeah” Seungcheol nodded, his suspicions renewed, he studied his silent captive, looking for anything to give him away. 

Jihoon ceased his thrashing, evidently growing tired as his exhaustion held him hostage and he simply didn't know what else he could do to remedy the situation. There was no enemy to fight here. Just a bunch of _idiots_. He'd already screamed and kicked till he had gotten some answers to the nature of his predicament, and neither seemed to have helped much.

“Ok, so here’s the plan” Seungcheol spoke again, moving to lift the small boy up into a sitting position and standing behind him “We hide the fairy here and….wait”

“Then what….” Wonwoo asks.

“We wait till Beta-Tau-Sigma notices he is missing, we hold him hostage for a while till they accept defeat and demand him back”

At this point, Jihoon looks inclined to burst into tears. He rubs his bound hands roughly against his face and tilts his head back, lamenting the state of his life, and makes a gurgling, inhuman sound of frustration through the duct tape.

_Jesus Christ. I hate you Seungkwan…. this is all your fault_

Seungcheol eventually manages a half-apologetic smile and an awkward pat on Jihoon’s head. “I’m really sorry about this fairy, I know it’s not what you imagined when you agreed to be their mascot but this shit is steeped in tradition, we _have_ to see it through”

“IM NNHHH THH MSSCCTT” * _*I’M NOT THEIR MASCOT!**_


	2. Sleep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jihoon needs a nap.

Jihoon sits cross legged on the floor, staring down the two older males standing on either side of him as they converse. The taller of the two, Seungcheol; a muscled shit-for- brain jock; or in words Jihoon has chosen to define him- ushered the younger fraternity pledgers back to their dorms and the remaining members had retired to their bedrooms following their exodus.

Whatever alcohol was in his system from earlier has definitely vacated it’s effect on his brain, and sobriety peeks its ugly head through. He’s much more aware of his current situation now and he looks around the room, hoping to be comforted by the familiar surroundings of his dorm room, but everything has suddenly taken on the surreal and slightly ominous vibe of a looping nightmare.

“Where are we going to keep him?” Wonwoo asks the chapter president “Shall we move him to the basement?”

“No, _fuck_ Wonwoo its freezing down there- he’s only tiny! He’ll freeze up like a popsicle stick down there” Seungcheol berates.

“Well, we can’t leave him down here alone. The cleaner might see him and I know she’s turned a blind eye on some of our previous _antics_ but I **think** this will take the cake” Wonwoo explained.

“Hmm, I guess I’ll just hide him in my room, it’s big enough” Seungcheol said, finally addressing the small boy sitting submissively between them. “Here, help me get him up the stairs” he said kneeling to scoop Jihoon up, a firm grip under his knee and an arm wrapped around his back.

“Hmmfgghhh wkkll mssssffff” Jihoon muffles against the tape.

“Do we really need to keep him gagged?” Wonwoo asks.

“I don’t know man... he’s really fucking loud” Seungcheol said reluctantly, as he stilled his attempt at picking up the smaller boy and reached to clasp the duct tape on his mouth. “If I take this off, promise not to scream?” he said eyeing Jihoon with a glint of amusement in his eyes.

Jihoon shrugged his shoulders, before reluctantly nodding his head in acceptance.

“My hands are tied not my legs! I can fucking walk up the stairs, I don’t need to be carried you **moron** ” he spat harshly as soon as he was free to speak again.

“Oh….right yeah” Seungcheol registered his stupidity before standing up straight, gripping Jihoon by the arm and hauling the smaller boy on his feet. The sudden and swift tug up-unbalanced him slightly and he tilted to the side, phone dropping from his pocket.

All three of them glanced down at the illuminated screen and before Jihoon has the reflexive agility to reach for it, Seungcheol snatches it up off the floor much to his dismay. That had been his _one_ saving grace in this whole calamitous situation. To wait until everything had settled down and then to frantically call for help.

“I’ll be keeping this” Seungcheol said cheerfully “Don’t need you calling your big bro’s at Beta-Tau-Sigma for help _just_ yet”

“How many times do I have to tell you- _you degenerate imbecile_ -I am **NOT** in Beta-Tau-Sigma, I am **NOT** their mascot” Jihoon seethes, stomping in place.

“Degenerate?…..you know...you should try and say nicer things. After all you _are_ a guest…or prisoner in our frat and you _will_ be bunking with me and you **ARE** tied up. Ya know….I _could_ do things to you” Seungcheol threatened casually.

“Seungcheol!” Wonwoo laughed in disbelief at his callous threat, turning towards the exit of the room.

“What….I’m saying I _could_ …..not that I _will_ ” He defended, pulling a unenthusiastic and cautious Jihoon by the elbow “But I **_might_** ” he finished, a breath of a whisper in the smaller boys ear.

………………………………………………….

“So, fairy, you got a name?” Seungcheol addresses him once they are alone in his spacious bedroom, the door closed after Wonwoo has waved goodnight to them.

“Does it matter? Will it get me out of this mess?” Jihoon asks defiantly.

“Not really, but if you want me to keep calling you fairy I’m happ…

“Jihoon…my name is Lee Jihoon” He spits, dropping to the floor sullenly.

“Jihoon, ok, I’m Seungcheol, the Sigma-Chi-Tau chapter president” he replies.

“Yeah, I know, I’ve made a mental note of everyone’s names so that I can personally sue your ass when I get outta here” Jihoon says, leaning back against the foot of the bed. It’s a partially empty threat, he’s not sure he could explain this to anyone and get anything but laughter in his face. He’d probably take this story to the grave if he weren’t so inclined to use it as leverage some day in the future.

Seungcheol just nods in acceptance as he works to clear items off his bed and then reaches to place Jihoon’s phone high up on the top of his wardrobe, out of range, quirking his eyebrow at the smaller boy as he does so. “Just so its ….harder for you to reach. No offense” he finishes with a sly wink.

“You complete prick! If you think hiding my phone up there is going to make it difficult for me to get-you can think again. I’ll use your corpse as a stepping stool to reach it if I have to” Jihoon says, eyes narrowed dangerously bordering on a squint.

It earns him a deep laugh from the taller boy, who quickly covers his mouth to silence himself least he wake the others. “You’re…you’re definitely something else ya know that?” he says after composing himself. “You planning on sleeping on the floor tonight or something?”

“Where else will I have the misfortune of sleeping?” Jihoon says, glancing around the room, assessing his options. Seungcheol nods towards his bed in response. “And are you going to stand guard throughout the night? Watch me sleep?” Jihoon berates.

“Nah, I’ll be sleeping right next to you” Seungcheol explains reaching down to pull Jihoon up again.

“Nuh-Uh, _Hell_ no!” Jihoon chides, swatting the helping hand away. “I’ll stand guard, a moron like you is likely to swallow his own tongue in his sleep, so I guess I have to stay awake, I might have to save your life”

“A lot of big talk from such a small guy…..but we both know what’s going to happen next... so do us both a favour .... _take of your clothes_ ” Seungcheol says.

“What!” Jihoon freezes in shock

“C’mon take em off…..you’re not sleeping in those, they’re dirty” Seuncgheol gestures as Jihoon, his clothes dusty and scuffed from one too many parties, substandard dorm laundering and being tossed around campus in a kidnapping frenzy. Jihoon relaxes his shoulders when he realizes the intent to undress him is less machiavellian in nature and a little more mundane. “Here, you can wear this” Seungcheol chucks a black t-shirt at him.

“Uhhm…its huge” He says, holding the t-shirt up which already reaches down to his knees and he hasn’t even worn it yet.

“Well, what do you expect, you’re _tiny_. And despite what you might be thinking, we don’t go around kidnapping people on a regular basis, it’s not like we keep spare _miniature_ clothing around for our hostages” Seungcheol defends, pulling off his own t-shirt over his head. Jihoon averts his gaze to the floor, eye’s briefly noting the pull of muscle around Seungcheol’s shoulders as he stretched the shirt over his shoulders.

“Are..you shy?” Seungcheol laughs lightly in amusement, still shirtless, watching the smaller boy looking helplessly in every direction but his “Do, you want me to help you change? You might get lost in that T-shirt” He teases, advancing cautiously on Jihoon.

“No…no. I…I don’t want…I’m not undressing in front of you" Jihoon mutters, sounding sad and embarrassed, and making Seungcheol feel like the biggest shit in the world. Which, he totally shouldn’t- it’s not like he’s trying to get him naked to humiliate or gawk at him. It’s not like Jihoon should be taking this as a personal insult, it was a pretty big t-shirt, it would be big on anybody, Jihoon is just _particularly_ lean.

Seungcheol is quiet for a long time, thinking it over. He clears his throat breaking the heavy silence and says, “Ok, I will untie you, you can change in the bathroom but you have to leave the door open…I’m not risking you locking yourself in there in some coup attempt” Seungcheol’s says, trying to ease the tension and help make the smaller boy more comfortable.

Jihoon nods numbly looking down at his bound hands, where he’s been absently thumbing the soft material of the shirt, and realizes his hands are shaking. Seungcheol releases his restraints, turning Jihoon’s hands in his, examining the purple and yellow bruising along his wrists carefully, thumbs tracing the inside of the sensitive skin. Jihoon notes how his hands are comparatively small against the older boys, and he retracts them from his light grip to shuffle in to the bathroom and change.

When he emerges, after much hesitation and after glancing at himself in the mirror for the millionth time, the older male is already under the covers, glancing through his own phone. He looks up, a smile gracing his face, no doubt enjoying the comical image of Jihoon effortlessly _drowning_ in a t-shirt that just skims his knees and slopes down over one shoulder. He doesn’t say as much but instead pats the bed next to him motioning for the smaller boy to come and rest. In that moment Jihoon feels _intimately exposed_. That’s how he feels. Intimately exposed somehow and _vulnerable_ , he realizes the moment the word occurs to him because it so precisely encapsulates his entire experience.

The feeling is only heightened as the older male reaches around and restrains his hands together again, not as tightly as before but sufficiently so as to hinder any chances of escape.

………………………………………

Sleep does not welcome him. Jihoon sits up in the bed, cracking his neck from side to side. He registers the big oaf sound asleep next to him, snoring softly and despite his better judgement he elbows him in the stomach to gain his attention.

“Uhhh..gg….fuck….what?” Seungcheol gasps, massaging his injured stomach.

"I can't sleep," he growls at the man lying beside him, sounding pissed off and vaguely accusatory and like he's just swallowed a full packet of razor blades, his voice hoarse and cracked.

“Hmffff” A heavy sigh followed by “Are you even trying though? Have you even closed your eyes?” Seungcheol offers rubbing sleep from his face and tilting his body up to face him. “Lie back down, you can’t sleep sitting up”

“I know how to fucking sleep asshole! It’s dark enough, it’s quiet- except for your _ridiculous_ snoring that's perforating my ear drums! I haven’t had any caffeine in the last 9 hours and I haven’t been standing on my fucking head this whole time so maybe..just maybe the reason I can’t sleep is because I’ve been kidnapped, tied up and held against my will!” Jihoon rants, surprisingly coherent considering how tired he feels.

To Seungcheol’s ears, he sounds desperate, almost strung out. Jihoon's voice sounds uneven and tinged with hysteria, like he might start crying at any given moment. He’s probably just exhausted and his brain won’t shut down from the adrenaline rushing through his system. Focusing on those thoughts for too long will have the opposite effect, no doubt keeping Jihoon more alert and aggressive. Seungcheol regards him for a quiet moment before responding “I don’t snore” diverting the building strain.

“Aughh….” Jihoon flops back down on the pillow in defeat. Twisting his body to face away from the larger boy in a huff.

Seungcheol sits silently. Jihoon is not sure if he's considering letting him go, whether he’s contemplating that continued loss of sleep is worth whatever ludicrous pledge tradition he has inadvertently roped himself into or if he's just angry to have been woken up and insulted. Finally, he mutters, "If I untie you, I need to spoon you so you don’t run away while I’m sleeping”

Jihoon visibly stiffens at the suggestion, before considering the multitude of options Seungcheol _should_ have thought of first before considering spooning as an option at all. “So god help me I will cut you up if you try that” Jihoon spits, looking over his shoulder menacingly at the older male, who chokes out a laugh at his reply.

“I guess I could always stop you from escaping by locking my bedroom door…..but….. **no** … seeing as your _sooo_ opposed to spooning and you just woke me up so.. _sweetly_ ….It looks like I will definitely have to spoon you…come here fairy” he says, beginning to reach out for Jihoon.

“Nah! Never mind, I’ll just stay tied up thanks” Jihoon says, shifting nimbly away from the other boy’s reach.

“Nope. Think I’m gonna spoon you anyway” Seungcheol insists, gripping Jihoon and dragging him back against his chest.

“Nooo..no..NO!” Jihoon arches away and thrashes against the strong, unrelenting hold, as warm powerful arm encircles his waist, a leg slips in between his knees and Seungcheol tucks his forearm under Jihoon’s head and wraps the arm around his collar.

“Ugh…no…get off!!” Jihoon scrambles against the iron grip with little success.

_Damnit he’s strong_

Seungcheol allows him to twist and writhe briefly in his grip before tightening his arms and locking him in, his breath warm against the base of his neck “Shhhhh..shhhhh..shhhh…there there…now go to sleep before I decide to do something else to you” He murmurs gently against his temple, diffusing any mounting argument from Jihoon’s body almost instantly.

 

He doesn’t know whether it's the threat lingering in the air, his overwhelming exhaustion catching up with him, the warm exhales of the man behind him ghosting over his neck or perhaps a cumulative effect of all three, but sure enough he drifts off to sleep.

……………………………………………..

Jihoon’s ears twitch, picking up on an unidentified sound from his right: a drawer opening, a barely audible click-click-clicking away in the background- a clock?- The clock hand moving against it’s face? Wasn’t his alarm clock digital? Where was he? What happened last night?

“ughhhhh” He shifts awake unsteadily, on a bed that definitely isn’t his own. Glancing around a barely lit room, thick curtains drawn but sunlight creeping around the edges and radiating enough light for him to survey his surroundings.

“Morning sunshine” a figure whispers from the side “Sorry, I was trying to be quiet but you are obviously a light sleeper, I’ll be outta here in a minute and you can go back to sleep” it assures him.

Jihoon doesn’t want to argue but lifts his head up off the pillow to trace the source of the whisper, blinking deeply to clear the haziness of his vision. He takes in the sight of Seungcheol, standing at the edge of the bed, hair damp, plastered to his forehead, steam coasting over his wet skin, rivulets of water slipping down his shoulders, chest and abs, pooling down to catch at a single towel draped around his waist loosely.

Jihoon wonders if he’s dreaming. _Nope_ -hallucinating, maybe? Did he drink himself gay last night? Did they knock his head as they manhandled him into the house? He’s actually considering reaching out and tracing a newly formed trail of water down the toned body in front of him before his brain races ahead and reminds him that it would _definitely_ not be a good idea. His brain may be functioning optimally but it doesn’t stop him from gawking unapologetically or talking…

“The fuck?” Jihoon says, taking in the glorious sight his brain is choosing to translate into arousal and storing away the image of a dripping wet Seungcheol for later, so he can appreciate it more when he is fully awake.

“You’re so soft and small when you sleep…..then you wake up and you have a trucker’s mouth…the contrast is…it’s really impressive Jihoon” Seungcheol admits pushing the hair back off his face and suddenly letting the towel around his waist, drop to the floor. Jihoon’s breath falters in his throat, but the sight he expects to greet him is _unfortunately_ camouflaged by a pair of tight boxers worn under the towel. _Sneaky bastard_

“Hey what?…..are you _disappointed?_ I wore these under my towel because I thought you would be shy and all…..but I can show you more if you like” Seungcheol grins mischievously, reaching to pull the front of his boxers down- deliberately slow over one hip.

“Fuck off……” Jihoon grunts lowly, turning his head away and stuffing his face back into the pillow to hide his embarrassment. Seungcheol snorts in laughter as he resumes toweling himself dry and dressing, watching the small figure on the bed, his face hidden against the pillow but the redness gracing the tips of his ears betraying his obvious bashfulness to the display.

_Fuck…he’s cute_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have work in 4 hours. Why do I do this to myself? Oh yeah.....for smut. Always for smut.


	3. Pancake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hungry Jihoon

When Seungcheol finally leaves the room, it can't come soon enough for Jihoon. He’s not adept at deep sea diving and there is only so much oxygen his lungs can recycle before he needs to come up for air. When he registers the door being pulled shut and the lock clicking, he lifts his head from the pillow.

He contemplates fisting himself under the sheets until he reaches completion- but who knows how long Seungcheol will be gone for and he can’t imagine being caught masturbating in the others bed would do him any favors. So he pushes down the surging tide of arousal and huffs a little into the pillow, hoping for sleep to catch him again.

He’s reawakened by the fire alarm, blaring through the house followed by distant shouting. He wonders if they will remember he is locked upstairs, bound and helpless no less- when the house is engulfed in flames and his body is reduced to a murder mystery novel- _The Mysterious Minature Corpse in the Frat House._

He darkly hopes the house was indeed about to be reduced to ashes- it would at least mean there would be one less fraternity on Greek Row.

That thought is squished when Seungcheol unlocks the door and enters the room, a cloth held around his face; a makeshift mask against the smoke. “Sup- don’t worry, burnt pancakes is all. The house isn’t on fire or anything” He reassures.

“Oh I’m not worried, I was kinda hoping the house _was_ on fire because.. then you would have nowhere to live!” Jihoon spits.

“We could always move in with you guys at Beta-Tau-sigma” Seungcheol jokes

“I’m NOT IN BETA….ughh……nevermind” Jihoon turns his back to the older boy.

“Here” Seungcheol places something at the foot of the bed. Jihoon shifts on his elbows to look down and sees his clothing from the night before, freshly washed, dried and folded.

“Did….did you do my laundry?” He says, giving the older boy a baffled look.

“Well….yeah” Seungcheol says.

“You … _bastard_ ” he replies without thinking.

“Uhhhh….you’re _welcome?”_ Seungcheol says both confusion and amusement on his features.

“How long are you planning on keeping me here?” Jihoon sidesteps his previous retort swiftly.

“Yeah….I dunno, I was just discussing it downstairs with the guys…but we can talk about that later. Breakfast will be ready soon, so if you might wanna get ready. Feel free to use the shower to freshen up” he motioned to the bathroom as he spoke.

“Hmph..Suppose I should and I _suppose_ you expect me to keep the bathroom door open whilst I shower so you can guard me and enjoy the view!” Jihoon said sardonically.

“Well…..I _do_ have an assignment I need to start before term… but come to think of it, your idea sounds like more fun for me” Seungcheol quipped, reaching down to loosen his captive's restraints.

“Fuck off. You’re not watching me shower” Jihoon says, pushing past him headed towards the bathroom, glancing scathingly at the older male once before entering.

 

Jihoon pulled the door almost all the way closed to give himself some privacy. Then he pulls the large t-shirt off and stares at himself in the mirror, his hair is spectacularly all over the show, heavy shadows under his eyes and his face is creased from face-planting into the pillow earlier. There is a mild discomfort in his shoulders from having his hands bound throughout the night and with his restraints now gone, he feels the urge to demonstrate his flexibility all of a sudden and stretches his arms over his head tightly until his shoulders pop and then continues to undress himself to shower.

As soon as the hot spray of water hits his body, muscles he didn’t even realize were tense, loosen. He groans inwardly in relief, before hissing as a splash off scalding water hits against the small scratches on his wrists where his restraints had chafed the skin.

He contemplates using all the shampoo and conditioner available, more than was necessary and tipping out the rest just to inconvenience Seungcheol in some way, some small attempt at payback for his ordeal, but he found himself too content under the soothing water to actually go through with it.

The hot water cascading down his back was cool in comparison to the heat in his lower belly and he fitfully shook himself to break the string of perverted thoughts creeping through his head. The mere thought of the other boy, meters away in the other room listening to him shower caused a strange surge of heat to pool at the pit of his stomach. It was painfully frustrating- waiting for his brain to reconstruct the delicious image from earlier-of Seungcheol, clad in nothing but a towel, _dripping wet._ The image keeps distracting him from his shower, actually making him loose count of the number of times he’s lathered-rinsed- and repeated his shampooing routine. When he estimates that he has in fact, been too long in the shower for it to be appear as innocent- he grimly notices his erection.

Choosing the option with the least degree of self-loathing, Jihoon neglects his erection in favour of holding his head in his hands and moaning pitifully into the oncoming spray- which drowns out his dismay. Standing back in the shower, he turns the knob from pleasantly warm to freezing cold, rinses his hands in ice-cold water, presses them to his burning face, takes three deep breaths and then pushes himself under the cold spray- dousing his arousal.

 

………………………………………………………..

“Good Morning Fairy!” Mingyu shouts over his shoulder as they entered the kitchen area.

"Eat a dick" he says, a little flatly, but it startles Mingyu into a laugh, so he guesses it’s expected.

“Wow….so I take it you slept well then?” Wonwoo gives him a neutral to friendly smile, wondering how to best approach their irritated captive.

“Don’t take it personally Mingyu…He’s said worse to me and he didn’t sleep entirely well at first. Until we _spooned_ that is” Seungcheol explained, grinning like a lunatic accompanied by a smug nod.

“It was _forced_ spooning! _FORCED!_ I didn’t initiate it, I didn’t enjoy it and I don’t want to talk about it!” Jihoon spat, ignoring the smile that cracked Mingyu’s features at the revelation.

“Yeah…he says that now…..but he slept like a baby- pretty much straight after I spooned him. I don’t want to jump to conclusions _but he definitely enjoyed it_ ” Seungcheol said, pulling out a stool from under the breakfast bar and pushing Jihoon down into it.

Jihoon doesn’t retort immediately, instead he spends the next ten seconds wavering wildly between insecurity, self-pity and blinding fury. “Go fuck a duck!” he finally says.

“Well, I hope you like blueberry pancakes? They’re my specialty and I made some fresh, especially for you!” Mingyu chimes in.

“Aw..that’s too bad…I’m allergic to blueberries….and pancakes” Jihoon lied, his comment is pretty effective at deflating Mingyu’s overt cheeriness despite obviously being a joke.

“What!...really? awww” Mingyu said disappointment evident on his face.

“No he’s not Mingyu, he’s just being deliberately awkward” Seungcheol dismissed “Nobody is allergic to pancakes, especially not Mingyu’s, they’re _divine_ ”

“I am, I’m gluten intolerant, lactose intolerant and blueberry intolerant. If I eat them I’ll shit myself six ways from Sunday. Do you really want that?” Jihoon continued, lying effortlessly.

“Hmmm” Seungcheol regarded him for a moment, as Mingyu plated him up a portion. “Guess we will just have to take that risk. It will be worth it, trust me- these are the best pancakes you will ever have” He said, pulling the plate over in front of Jihoon.

Jihoon had already resigned himself to eating them, they smelt amazing and he could no longer afford to be awkward as his stomach growled in protest. He raised his bound hands to reach for a fork from the table when suddenly he felt Seungcheol crowd him from behind his stool. Reaching around him to collect a knife and fork and beginning to cut through the neatly arranged pancake stack.

“Uhhhh..excuse me, what do you think you are doing?” Jihoon asked, indignant at having his food cut up for him, like he was some kind of toddler needing assistance.

“I’m cutting your food up for you, you can’t very well cut it up yourself with your hands tied, I’m just breaking it up into bite size pieces for you” Seungcheol said from over his shoulder, restraining to keep obvious delight from his voice.

“And are you gonna feed me too!?” Jihoon spat furiously.

“That’s the plan!” Seungcheol sing songed in response

“Like **hell** you will!” Jihoon voiced, trying to pry the fork from Seungcheol’s grip unsuccessfully. He attempted to push the stool back and raise himself from his seat but Seungcheol had him effectively pinned against the breakfast bar, shoulders and elbows crowding him in and limiting his movements as he worked on slicing up his breakfast.

Wonwoo leaned against the countertop, nursing a cup of coffee as he flipped through the post, watching the display thoughtfully.

“Open up wide for the choo-choo train!” Seungcheol melodied, forking a chunk of food and guiding it in an animated manner towards Jihoon’s mouth.

“NO!” Jihoon shouted fitfully.

“Now now… don’t be like that! Growing boys need to eat to get big and strong. SO be a _good_ boy and open up for the choo-choo train, chuga-chuga chuga-chuga _choo choo_!” Seungcheol sang, pushing the morsel of food up against Jihoon’s sealed, unrelenting lips.

Mingyu broke in to loud laughter at the scene playing out in front of him. Jihoon seething-bouncing up and down in his chair in uncontained anger and embarrassment at the sardonic treatment; whereas Seungcheol seemed to be wholly enjoying himself.

Jihoon’s mutinous stomach growled again and he relented- shutting his eyes in submission and opening his mouth to accept the proffered food, chewing the morsel slowly, savoring the taste despite his mortification. As soon as he did there was a tremendously loud cheer from the three older males in the kitchen

“WOOO!, yeah!” Mingyu yelled

“Well done!” Wonwoo praised, overly sarcastic.

“Yay! Such a good boy! _Such a good boy for daddy!”_ Seungcheol teased, earning him a sharp elbowing in the side from Jihoon, not that it affected his joyful mood in the slightest.

The next few bites of food received a similar display of attention, causing Jihoon’s cheeks to redden as he chewed. He had to admit, only to himself that they were _pretty good_ pancakes even if the method of delivery was especially patronizing. By the time the fifth forkful of food is being presented to him, he’s pretty much settled into a morose acceptance. This is what his life on his first week of college has come to, being kidnaped, tied up, force-spooned and spoon-fed.

_Mum and dad if you could see me now_

“Would you like some coffee? Orange juice? A warm glass of milk and a belly rub?” Mingyu offered .

Jihoon narrowed his eyes as he chewed another mouthful that Seungcheol fed him.

“Careful now Min, I think he’s definitely a coffee kinda guy” Wonwoo said “Hook him up with some caffeine quick, before he stabs Cheol-Hyung in the neck with that fork”

“ _Please_ Wonwoo, Don’t give him any ideas” Seungcheol spoke, picking up another piece of pancake and swirling it in syrup.

“I’ll have a Coffee, no milk, no sugar… _please_ ” Jihoon says, through a mouthful of sticky dough and sweet syrup.

“ _Please_? Well well well. Looks like the sweetness of Mingyu’s pancakes have rubbed off straight on to little Jihoonie here” Seungcheol said in mock surprise at his politeness.

Jihoon, turned in his stool to look back menacingly at the older boy hovering behind him. “Mark my words, I will gouge out your eyes the first chance I get” he said.

Seungcheol grins openly and leans in a little closer, close enough that Jihoon can smell him; soap, aftershave and something more _masculine_ , definitely not unpleasant-not that anybody was asking. Jihoon forces himself not to inhale deeply.  “I know you will, that’s why I'm the one holding the knife and fork!” Seungcheol spoke lowly.

He’s too busy chewing and not- _definitely not_ -watching the older boy's tongue dart out to sweep over his bottom lip; to catch what Mingyu is saying in the background, saying something along the lines of

“Ha…nevermind, spoke to soon Cheol!” 

Mingyu laughs as he selects one of the mismatched mugs from the cupboard, fills it from the coffee pot and hands it over. Jihoon thanks him, clasps it carefully between his bound wrists and takes a sip.

“So what are you studying Jihoon?” Wonwoo asks, pulling out a stool to sit opposite them.

“Hmm…I’m Majoring in music. Business minor” Jihoon spoke suddenly quiet. He holds his breath and waits for the inevitable: “How do you plan on getting a job after college with a Music major?” It’s such a demoralizing question that he has been posed on so many different occasions, by so many different people that he has pre-planned answers that he alternates between.

His parents-although supportive, seem unquestionably disappointed with his career choice, having spent the better part of his high school years striving for him to excel in science and mathematics, hoping to encourage him into a ‘respectable’ and ‘immediately employable’ path in life. It was a bitter pill to swallow for them when he revealed he wished to pursue a career in music, regardless of the limitations he would face down the line. So he was prepared to defend his choice again, what he wasn’t expecting was…

“Wow, really! Music? That’s pretty cool” Wonwoo said to him, although he was looking over at Seungcheol as he spoke. “So is this your first year?” he continued.

“Yeah….” He answered again subdued.

“Mingyu’s a Business Major, some of our pledge’s are doing a minor in Music so you might share some of the same classes.”

“I hope not…I don’t want to relive this every time I see them in class” He said more relaxed as the conversation continued. Wonwoo just smiled back at him. “What are you studying then?”

“I’m studying medicine, I’m in my third year at the moment. That’s how I met Seungcheol, he’s studding Physical therapy, so we shared a few classes when I was in pre-med” He explained nodding at Seungcheol.

“Physical therapy? As in…like...sports?” Jihoon asked, looking over his shoulder at the older male as he spoke.

“Yeah” Seungcheol answered “But I am doing a minor in…

“Figures..” Jihoon interrupts under his breath, earning a barked laugh from Mingyu and Wonwoo.

“Oh? What’s that supposed to mean?” Seungcheol asks, seemingly unoffended, dimples creasing his cheeks.

“I would try and explain what I mean….but ….I don’t see the point, you would just get confused” Jihoon says, adding insult to injury

“Oh really…please Jihoon…. _enlighten me_ ” Seuncgheol says, no heat in his voice but a little tense around the shoulders.

“It’s…Nothing, just……fraternity meat heads …Majoring in PT….it’s almost disappointing how obvious you are” he says, hoping he doesn’t sound too much like the pretentious prick he is frequently accused of being.

 “That’s kinda harsh Jihoon, and after we were all starting to get along so well…” Wonwoo tittered in amusement.

“Hmmm” Seungcheol hums, noncommittally. Sullen. It unnerves Jihoon, he was expecting anger- anger would have been easier to take.

…………………………………………………………..

 

He spent most of the day sprawled out in a large sofa, thumbing through magazines and dog eared books in the airy loft space at the top of the frat house. Mingyu, the pleasant chap that he was and obviously the de-facto chef of the fraternity brought him up food at regular intervals and made recommendations on what books he should read. When he glanced out of the large skylight, the sky was turning grey and the air was cooling around him. He ventures down to the second floor and back to Seungcheol’s room, returning a nod at Wonwoo who retreats to his own room at the end of the corridor.

Entering the room, Seungcheol meets his eyes, calm and unconcerned and then turns back to his desk. Jihoon moves to sit on the edge of the bed, watching the older boy work on his laptop in near silence. Seungcheol ignores him- in an unintentional way that reminds him of how people grow accustomed to others invading their personal space. He's sitting sideways in his chair, desk cluttered with an array of books, CD’s, papers and half empty cans of pepsi-max. Jihoon busies himself reading the bookend titles displayed on the shelf above the older boys head and doesn’t realize Seungcheol has turned to watch him until he clears his throat and turns to see the older boy staring up at him considerately.

“You ok?” he asks the smaller boy.

“Yeah, just…uhmm...bored. What are you doing?” He asks, fingers tracing down the pile of RW-discs on the desk.

“Working…”the dark haired male gestures at his laptop, a program open on the screen that seems oddly familiar to Jihoon. “I’m editing some stuff” he continues, as Jihoon looks over him at the screen and realizes its producing software, software he uses himself….

“Whha…do you, are you ..producing?” He asks, confused.

“Yeah, it’s for an assignment I have, I am minoring in music” Seungcheol explains.

“What.…you’re …music?…really?” Jihoon’s tone changes, interest suddenly piqued but with a note of skepticism.

“Yeah, I was trying to tell you that earlier…. That was _before_ you insulted me” Seungcheol says, with a melodramatic air of grief.

“I…..uhmm..I didn’t ….” He stuttered. “You just seem…like a … .I mean…I’ve met lots of jocks before. And they always made me feel like I…like.. I wasn’t fitting in with their idea of how things should be. They would make assumptions about me…because of how…small I was…that I wasn’t good at stuff and... I didn’t exactly have an easy time at school.. lets just leave it at that” Jihoon says with nonchalance, but there’s a strain underneath it.

Seungcheol doesn’t say anything for a moment; although he’s often told by many of the other fraternity members that he is especially good at dispensing pearls of logic, wisdom and guiding the younger members through difficult moments, everything he can think of saying now to comfort Jihoon seems horribly inappropriate and insufficient.  

“Ah,” Seungcheol says. “I understand, people can be pretty judgmental, shallow. The harder you try to prove them wrong the more they think the opposite of you”

“Yeah… exactly!” Jihoon says approvingly, feeling a weird sense of accomplishment at having touched base with that emotion, knowing that _somebody_ else experienced it as well. There’s something in the echo of that statement that reminds Jihoon of their stilted conversation that morning at breakfast and he feels a chill go through him.

"Oh….yeah…..uhm..I guess I was pretty presumptuous about you.” Jihoon says. He waits, grimly, for Seungcheol to smirk at him and tell him what a _hypocrite_ he is, throw it in his face, all the stupid assumptions Jihoon made about him and his outwardly appearance as a meat-head.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to insult you. I just get defensive..sometimes… _always_ actually” Jihoon says, brows furrowed, small pout forming on his lips.

“Nah, it’s all right,” Seungcheol says. “You’re kind of adorable when you’re full of righteousness” Jihoon has no idea what to say to that. It’s essentially a pretty condescending remark, but it makes his insides feel all _fluttery_ just the same.

"Come here, sit down" Seungcheol says, very softly, corner of his mouth quirking up into a smile as he moves over to sit on the bed, back against the headboard, laptop placed carefully on the dresser.

Jihoon scoots up slightly, tucking his legs under him, but it's apparently not close enough for Seungcheol, who takes hold of his arm and drags him further up the bed.

…………………………………………..

Jihoon’s not a particularly talkative person by nature. Reserved and shy are words frequently used to describe him, _usually_ by people who don’t know him well. People who haven’t had the pleasure of enjoying the scathing commentary he can sharply deliver without a second of remorse. It’s a gift really, one that has gotten him in more trouble than he cares to remember.

He prefers to go unnoticed, only opening up to those he truly feels comfortable with, with whom he can be his usually sarcastic, mirthless self without recrimination.

The deeper truth is- it’s a defensive mechanism. One he has honed from torturous years at school as the vertically challenged student on the receiving end of taunts. Dropping the charade was never an option at school and he hoped it wouldn’t be necessary once he got to college, but as he finds most people he meets to be incredibly shallow from the offset, he hasn’t seen any real reason to put the effort in to achieve their social acceptance.

Uncharacteristically, Seungcheol turns out to be the _exception_ he thinks. Jihoon smiles at that thought in spite of himself.

The strange truth is, he _enjoys_ talking to Seungcheol; about his music preferences, his career aspirations, his life in general. He doesn’t open up about it very often, particularly with strangers who kidnap him-not that he has a previous experience to compare that against anyway.

But as they speak and share, he feels like Seungcheol is, well- _genuinely_ interested in what he has to say. They sit harmoniously discussing music, college and desperate aspirations, consoling each other late into the night.

At some point during the night Seungcheol convinces him to appraise some of his own musical efforts and places a headset around his neck, whilst pulling Jihoon back against his chest firmly, so the cord can reach from across his laptop easily without snapping. Their close proximity doesn’t help Jihoon from feeling a tiny thrill go through him the next time he hears Seungcheol’s voice, low and intimate, randomly reciting a verse under his breath as he prepares the track, breath tickling the corner of his ear.

The music is hip-hop at a thankfully mellow beat-minus the lyrics. He swears the volume is dropping steadily as he listens through the headset, unaware that his eyes are drooping every other minute, his body loosening up, muscles relaxing and then- he is out like a light. Head dropping suddenly back against the older boy's chest.

Seungcheol had been preparing for this patiently for the last hour, discreetly reducing the volume on the headphones and watching, _mesmerized_ , from the corner of his eyes as Jihoon’s eyes lilted, body heavy with fatigue and head dipping sporadically as he fought sleep. He waited until the tension completely left the small body and Jihoon’s head slumped backwards against is chest, _precious_ , his face soft with sleep.

Smiling, he bit the corner of his lip to stop himself from chuckling and scooped the smaller boy up and shifted to the side in one smooth motion to lie him down on the bed with one arm, pushing back the covers with the other and carefully tucking him in. He thought about the necessity for the restraints and decided against it for tonight, simply because it would only jolt the younger boy awake if he tried and he did not want to disrupt his peaceful slumber.

Jihoon shifted suddenly, rolling over on to his stomach in his sleep, tucking his arm under the pillow and snuggling in closer, releasing a soft sigh of comfort.

Seungcheol couldn’t explain what possessed him to do what he did next, but the sight of Jihoon, curled up in _his_ bed, nuzzling a pillow, lips parted gently and soft lashes fluttering against his cheekbones pushed him to reach for his phone. Angling the device just right, he ensured the flash setting was off before snapping a photo.

Pleased with his work, he saved the photo as filename ***soft floofy fairy*** and pocketed his phone before undressing for sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why no smut yet? I dunno why! Why do I do this to myself! I try to smut and then I don't for some reason. I have a great smut scenario in my head though....real great. Please be patient with me :(


	4. Movies and Ice-Scream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slow burn.....

Jihoon wakes up feeling warmth, which is the first sign something is wrong. Because he’s usually freezing in bed, nocturnally cold blooded-even in the summer. It gives him a jolt at first, the feel of having someone’s arm wrapped around him, supplying him with heat and bodily contact. He's seen so little action that this should really be awkward as ** _fuck_**. But Seungcheol’s arm is firm and warm where it’s draped over his waist and Jihoon is just pleasantly drowsy enough to let himself appreciate it instead of tensing up and pushing the encroaching appendage away. He notices his hands are untied and even though he is bordering on wakefulness and could use this opportunity to escape, Seungcheol is breaking out into a jaw-cracking yawn and tucking Jihoon closer and so before he knows it- he drifts off to sleep again.

………………………………………………………

It’s early morning when Seungcheol wakes, sunlight edging over the room, enough light just for him to make out the portion of Jihoon’s face that isn’t stuffed in a pillow. He still has one heavy arm around the smaller boys middle. His internal clock is well out of order from having little sleep and Seungcheol wants to snuggle in close and sleep all over again because he has never, _seriously_ , never been so comfortable in his life. But he knows that maybe he should slip out of bed and not make it more awkward for both of them later.

He could really do with getting a run in before breakfast, his body humming with unspent energy.

Jihoon shifts suddenly when Seungcheol’s trying to extricate himself, mumbles something in a raspy voice, something along the lines of _“No Seungkwan I don’t want to go to karaoke again”_ and then smushes his face back down onto his pillow. Seungcheol huffs a soft laugh at his sleepy companions dreamy declarations and wonders if he should be feeling jealous of whoever Seungkwan is and his Karaoke escapades with Jihoon.

Seungcheol ran his hand appreciatively down the length of the younger boy’s back before rolling out of bed and digging out some clothes from the drawer. He’s conscious of keeping the noise to a minimum but as he’s finished dressing Jihoon mumbles again into the pillow.

"Mmm.... What time's it?" He asks, croaky.

Seungcheol glances at the clock. “ 07.15am” Seungcheol replies, moving to sit next to the half sleeping figure “I’m sorry to wake you, But I’m going out for a run. Do you need anything from outside?”

“Hmmm?” Jihoon answers, becoming more conscious as his mind lifts from sleep and a hand settles on the small of his back, a comfortable weight and he can feel the heat of Seungcheol’s hand through the thin material of his shirt.

“Jihoon?” Seungcheol repeats quietly. Jihoon feels the bed dip beside him. A warm palm lingers before sliding up his back to the nape of his neck, scruffing the hair there momentarily before moving to his shoulder and nudging him gently. “Do you need anything from outside?”

“Hmm…yeah.,” Jihoon says, scrubbing a hand over his face and turning to sit upright. “I don’t want to sound like a diva here….but there is _no way_ I am wearing the same clothes for another day. If you are insisting on keeping me here, I want some stuff from my dorm room…... _please!”_ He adds after a moment of thought.

He looks up at Seungcheol. For somebody who is about to go out and get all sweaty he sure makes an effort with his appearance. There should have been nothing spectacular about him in this moment, but he is dressed in a strangely flattering set of jogging bottoms and the _tightest_ white-T-Shirt in existence - hell why hadn’t he given Jihoon _that_ t-shirt to wear instead of the black monstrosity he was currently sporting.

Jihoon is mindful that he probably looks like someone just ran over, his hair is no doubt splayed out in every direction and he doesn’t even have a toothbrush here so he feels disproportionately unspectacular compared to Seungcheol at that moment.

“I can make a pit stop at your dorm when I am out on my run” Seungcheol says then, serious. “If you like. I just need your key and access card.

“Fine” Jihoon says “I want a change of clothes and underwear- for every day you plan on keeping me here. Since you won’t disclose how long that will be.. I’ll let you do the math’s on that”

“Okay” Seungcheol agrees.

“My toothbrush, my phone charger, a picture of my family in case I forget what they look like, a chisel-so I can tally my days in captivity on your wall, my I-Pod…

“Hold on, let me write these down somewhere” Seungcheol says scrummaging around for a pen and paper “Did you say you wanted a bouquet of ten white lilies or twelve? And do the M+M’s on your dresser have to be colour coordinated?

“Fuck you…I’m not asking for much!” Jihoon says, unable to keep the smile of his face as he spoke.

“Alright, alright, I’d kidding. These things should be easy enough to find. Any booby traps I should be aware of? I imagine you are the type of person who **would** booby trap their dorm room. Should I be afraid?” Seungcheol jokes.

“Hmm, no booby traps, your safe….but then…there is _Henry_ ” Jihoon says, eyes widening.

“ _Henry_? Who the hell is Henry?” Seungcheol asks.

“My room-mate” Jihoon explains.

“Henry? What a weird name…” Seungcheol asks folding the paper away into his pants pocket.

“Tell me about it…he’s a pretty weird guy. He was _home-schooled_ ” Jihoon says, as if that was sufficient reasoning to be labelled as weird.

“I know a few people who are home-schooled, it doesn’t make them weird” Seungcheol says

“He collects taxidermy birds” Jihoon adds

“Yeah, but that not..”

“His wardrobe consists solely of vermillion trouser suits” Jihoon says

“Style is a personal choice....” Seungcheol ponders

“I caught him taking a photograph of me while I was sleeping”

“Uhh……..ok……...I guess that’s _weird_ ” Seungcheol finally relents, although he is _keenly_ aware that he is also guilty of the very same thing, just last night in fact; but agreeing with Jihoon felt like the appropriate response at that moment. Maybe Henry and him could set up the Sleeping Jihoon appreciation club.

_I could be the president of that club too!_

When Seungcheol leaves. Jihoon nuzzles back into the luxuriously soft pillow. He drifts into sleep, then back out of it for a few minutes. Things start to trickle through his sluggish consciousness—the sound of birds chirping, the bright slide of daylight peeking through the small gap in the curtains and the unbearably tempting smell of… …..bacon?.

…………………………………………..

Seungcheol doesn’t have a morning routine-any routine at all actually-but it’s nice to start the day with some light exercise. Early enough that he can circle the block several times without meeting too many pedestrian’s on the pavement and enjoying the world slowly gliding past as his feet pound against the ground.

He ran at a slow to medium, steady pace that left his muscles heavy and pleasantly aching from exertion. Running took the edge off his thoughts, quietened his mind as his muscles thrummed with use. Most days he would head to the College track and complete several laps, but on cool, crisp, quiet morning such as today’s he preferred jogging down ten-fifteen blocks before doubling back, but he would make a detour at Jihoon’s dorm and jog back up Greek Row instead.

…………………………………………………

“Hi Henry, how’s it going?” Seungcheol greets, striding into the room.

“Hello….uh,….do I know you?” Henry asked, apprehensive at sigh of a complete stranger entering his dorm room.

“Nope, we’ve never met, but I know a lot about you…..” Seungcheol said, leaving it hanging in the air for a moment before continuing. “I’m picking up some stuff for Jihoon” he said, flashing Jihoon’s access card.

“Oh. Ok. May I ask where Jihoon is currently?” Henry asks, standing from his desk.

“He’s on a super-secret fraternity mission. It’s very hush-hush, I can’t tell you any more” Seungcheol explains.

“I didn’t know Jihoon was in a fraternity. Odd. He said he wasn’t rushing for any” Henry went on.

“……..well. Guess he changed his mind then.” Seungcheol said, taking in the disturbing display of taxidermy birds completely dominating one side of the small dorm room.

“These are my friends” Henry says openly, motioning to the lifeless animals around him.

“OK……so I’m just gonna pick up some things for Jihoon and get out of your way!” Seungcheol coughed, starting to pull out drawers and selecting items from the list Jihoon dictated for him.

“When will Jihoon be returning from this... mission?” Henry asked, watching Seungcheol carefully.

“Probably… **never**. I think that’s a good estimation. Yeah, _never_ , let’s go with that.” Seungcheol said, avoiding the strangers gaze as he moved to the bathroom.

“Is this because of the incident... where I took a picture of him sleeping?” Henry quizzed,

“Ya know…..that probably didn’t help.” Seungcheol laughed bagging a few more requested items “Hey Henry, help me out here...which one of these toothbrushes is Jihoon’s?” he asks.

“They both are. I don’t use a toothbrush. I let nature take its course. It’s truly amazing what the human body can do when you leave it to its own devices” Henry said “I recall an interesting article in…

“That’s a cool story Henry but I gotta go” Seungcheol dismissed, bagging both toothbrushes and moving towards the door “Stay weird!” He shouts as he pulls the door shut behind him.

………………………………

“Good Morning Jihoon!” Mingyu chirps, flipping over slices of bacon on the griddle.

“Hi!” Jihoon replies from the doorway, glancing around the kitchen. “Uhmmm…do you need any help? I feel kinda…useless.”

“No, don’t be silly, you’re our guest…or…our hostage. Take a seat, breakfast should be ready soon, we got waffles, eggs, bacon. Wonwoo and DK are out picking up some groceries for dinner. We are having a frat meeting later with some of our new pledges and Seungcheol left early this morning but I don’t know where he was headed exactly” Mingyu says, transferring another slice to the griddle.

“He went out for a Jog…and he’s stopping at my dorm to pick up some stuff for me to…. _prolong_ my captivity I suppose..” Jihoon explains, pulling out a stool and taking a seat.

“Oh good! I hope you’re not allergic to bacon!” Mingyu teased, flipping a couple of slices onto a plate for him

“No…..no allergies to bacon here….just blueberry pancakes” Jihoon replied smiling, accepting the plate from Mingyu.

The sound of the front-door opening drew his attention to the entrance of the Kitchen and in walked Seungcheol carrying a duffle bag, which he placed at the foot of the stairs. Jihoon nodded at him from the table as he ate.

“I smell bacon” Seungcheol sings, walking into the kitchen.

“You smelled correctly. And your prize is….some bacon” Mingyu said, gesturing to the steep pile on the table.

“Hmmmmm” Seungcheol hums in approval, unzipping his hoodie and flinging it in the laundry basket. He was still wearing the same tight-fitting white-t-shirt, and Jihoon could see the stretch of muscles across his shoulders, now better than before, as the shirt had managed to become _even tighter_ , as it became damp with sweat. Seungcheol looked thick and robust and shamefully built.

Jihoon enjoyed the view from his vantage point across the kitchen table. He expected to add this new _‘sweat drenched-tight t-shirt wearing’_ image of Seungcheol to his jerk-off catalogue.

So what if he was having fantasies about his captor-nobody was ever going to find out!. However today would mark his third day in ‘captivity’, surely Stockholm syndrome would take months if not years to develop. And were lustful thoughts even a symptom of it?

_What’s wrong with me…_

When the older boy moves over to the fridge and pulls out a cool bottle of water, Jihoon very purposely **_does not_** watch Seungcheol’s throat bob as he gulps it down, the view **_does not_** make his palm’s sweat in an distressingly immature way.

Shaking the image from his head Jihoon asks “How was your jog?”.

“Hm…..enlightening” Seungcheol’s answers, emptying the bottle and throwing it neatly into the trash.

“Enlightening? Ok…..did you remember to get my stuff?” Jihoon says.

“Yeah, I got it all!.... Henry sends his regards by the way. He misses you. He showed me the photograph he took of you sleeping, he just had it blown up…. its 3 foot large now. It’s hanging above his bed. ....What a nice guy” Seungcheol joked.

"Hilarious," Jihoon says dryly as he forks a slice of bacon. He watches the older boy from the periphery of his vision, move around the table to stand behind him. Jihoon goes completely still, frozen in surprise, arms locked at his sides when Seungcheol curls his body and wraps his arms round Jihoon's waist, resting his chin on the smaller boy's shoulder.

"Feed me" He says.

"Fuck off, you're a big boy....feed yourself" Jihoon replies. Seungcheol’s arms around his middle, squeeze until he hears the small boy let out a little puff of air. He loosens his grip slightly then promptly steals a slice of bacon right out from under Jihoon’s nose.

Jihoon pauses for a moment before promptly turning to punch him in the chest, cursing at him like there wasn’t a massive untouched pile of bacon sitting on the table that would have compensated him for the loss of a single slice.

Seungcheol chuckles as he pops it in his mouth, chewing happily.

“Cheol-Hyung! Don’t steal food from our guest! There is a pile of bacon right there man!” Mingyu chides from one corner of the kitchen.

“Yeah, but _stolen_ bacon tastes better than _free_ bacon” Seungcheol reasons, still chewing a mouthful as he takes a seat next to his captive.

“This whole experience is an insult to my basic human rights” Jihoon says, slapping Seungcheol’s hand away from his plate as he makes another attempt at bacon thievery.

“Hey…why do you have two toothbrushes?” Seungcheol asked, suddenly curious.

“Uhh…..because I once caught Henry using my first toothbrush to polish one of his dead birds…..”

“I’m sorry ** _what?_** Repeat that please. Your dorm mate did _**what**_ with your toothbursh?” Mingyu asks puzzled.

“Ok…so…..you _can’t_ go back there! That guy is _actually_ mental. I’m worried he might try and kill you so he can add you to his taxidermy collection” Seungcheol says.

Jihoon hums in agreement and reaches for another slice of bacon, which Seungcheol snatches from him again, lightening quick.

“Goddammit,....say what you will about Henry but at least he never steals bacon from me!” Jihoon protested.

………………………………………………

Jihoon is seated in the loft when the pledgers start filtering in for the meeting. He can identify two or more of them from the night of his kidnapping, others look new or different.

Seungcheol leaned over Jihoon’s shoulder as he spoke to some of the pledgers. He was close enough for Jihoon to feel his breath against his neck and the subtle appealing scent of his aftershave mixed with….something else he struggled to define but he fought down the sudden and annoying tide of arousal.

“So! We meet again…!” A voice boomed through the room. “Have you interrogated him yet Hyung? Do you want me to interrogate him? Shall I get my interrogating tools out?”

“The answer is no, to all of those questions Hosh” Seungcheol dismissed.

“But Hyung, this is a perfect opportunity for us to find out what Beta-Tau-Sigma are planning this year!” Dino butts in.

Jihoon leans forward, rests his elbows on his knees and hangs his head. “I forget how stupid you guys are…then I remember you kidnapped me thinking I was a mascot. Like I keep saying….I’m not in Beta-Tau-Sigma…..I’m not a mas”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah……maybe you will feel differently when we start water-boarding you for answers” Hoshi says, earning a laugh and a high five from Dino.

"What are you two giggling over?" Wonwoo drawled.

 “We were discussing possible interrogation techniques to use on the mascot, press him for some information on Beta-Tau-Sigma” Hoshi spoke.

“Nobody is interrogating him Hosh, that’s not even why we kidnapped him in the first place remember?” Seungcheol’s spoke.

“Oh…yeah” He seemed to consider it for a moment.

“Ignore him Jihoon, he’s hyper….sometimes it’s useful…sometimes it needs reigned in” Wonwoo assures Jihoon, a light pat on his shoulder.

“Alright, everyone take a seat so we can start” Seungcheol spoke loudly.

“Woah…woah….are we seriously considering having this meeting with…a spy in the room?” Dino questioned seriously.

“For fucks sake….he’s not a spy!” Mingyu acknowledges the mounting discussion as he distributes snacks amongst the members.

Wonwoo throws an arm across his Jihoon’s shoulders “Now, c’mon guys, I hardly think this meeting is secretive. We're just discussing the next…”

“Shhhhh……Wonwoo! It’s top secret” Hoshi gestures wildly “Not in front of the spy!” he says pointing at Jihoon. Jihoon grit his teeth in irritation.

“He’s NOT …”Seungcheol began.

“It’s fine….I can wait downstairs….I want to shower and change my clothes anyway” He cut the older boy off as Seungcheol leaned forward in his chair, concerned.

Seungcheol watches him leave, wondering if Jihoon is angrier than he let on.

 

.................................................................

 

Jihoon took his time getting showered. Thankful to have some privacy _and_ his personal items to use. It was remarkable how a short period of ‘imprisonment’ (technically he could call it that) made you appreciate the things you once took for granted. Like a fucking toothbrush!

When he was showered and dressed, happy to be wearing clothing of his size and style once more,  he sat on the window ledge in Seungcheol’s room. Outside, the sky was calm and clear and except for the noise filtering down from the loft, the house was exceptionally quiet. Jihoon kicked his feet up onto the ledge and watched out the window.

He hoped that Seungcheol would return his phone so that he could contact Seungkwan, Joshua or Jeonghan and tell them he was indeed alive. He was somewhat surprised they hadn’t tried contacting him. Usually he couldn’t go a few hours without receiving a call or message from one of them and now it had been almost _three_ days. Did they even realize he was missing? Perhaps Seungcheol was replying to their messages, making excuses for his absence. That was the most logical explanation thus far.

“Hey” Seungcheol said, startling him from his thought. He hadn’t heard him enter he had been so startlingly withdrawn from his surroundings gazing out the window.

“You alright?” Seungcheol asks, leaning against the frame.

“Yeah, Is the meeting over? What should I report back to Beta-Tau-Suckmyballs?” Jihoon said flatly.

“Ha, so you finally admit that you **_are_** their spy?” Seungcheol said, grinning as he closed the door behind him.

“No….but my time in captivity has taught me a great deal. I could sell the information to the highest bidder” Jihoon taunted.

“Ohh…and what have you learnt that could be used against us?” Seungcheol asked curious.

“Well…for starters…..your snoring is _really fucking loud_ ” Jihoon teased.

“I do not snore!” Seungcheol huffed. ”Look, it’s all this muscle dude, excess muscle bearing down weight on my lungs” Seungcheol exaggerated, flexing his biceps in a showy display of burliness “It might sound like I’m snoring, but it’s actually my muscles tensing in my sleep”

“You’re so full of shit!” Jihoon laughed at the display.

Seungcheol grinned at him. “Hey, so…do…you wanna watch a movie?” he asked, gesturing to his wide collection on the shelf.

“Hmm, okay. What have you got in mind?” Jihoon asked.

“….hmm how about… _The Conjuring_?” Seungcheol said, raising one eyebrow ridge as he spoke.

“It sounds… _ominous_.…is it scary?” Jihoon asked weary, watching the older boy slot the DVD into the side of his television.

“Nah! It’s a romantic comedy, starring Ben Stiller and Jennifer Lawrence. Ben Stiller is a rogue cop who falls in love with Jennifer Lawrence, an undercover detective- together they ‘ _conjure up’_ some love!” He outright lies as he moves over to sit on the bed.

“Hmmm…Why don’t I believe you?” Jihoon said, head tilting to the side.

“Ok, so it might be _a little_ scary….but I got you.” Seungcheol says stretching out his arm, beckoning him to come closer. Jihoon sighs stepping away from the ledge. “Hit the lights!” Seungcheol adds.

Jihoon moves to the wall and flips the switch, leaving the room dark except for the hazy glow emitting from the large TV on the wall.

“Come,” Seungcheol guides him, shifting back onto the pillows and patting the spot next to him.

Jihoon climbs onto the bed and settles next to Seungcheol, who throws an arm around him.

Jihoon will be the first to admit, he’s not the _cuddling_ type. And if he was being entirely truthful, he would also admit that he’s never _actually_ cuddled in his life. He could argue that it just wasn’t his style- but seeing as he hasn’t been in anything that remotely resembled a relationship before, the real reason is down to a lack of _opportunity_.

It should feel awkward and forced for him, but there is something about the soft inviting heat of Seungcheol pressed up against his side, something delicate about the way his thumb lazily traces the arc between Jihoon’s neck and shoulder.

It feels _safe_.

 _He_ feels safe. So Jihoon leans his head down experimentally, tipping it onto Seungcheol’ shoulder. Seungcheol releases a sigh and pulls him closer as the title screen appears.

“Do you know that Ben Stiller won an Academy Award for his performance in this?” Seungcheol joked.

“Are you planning on delivering a running commentary throughout the whole movie? Cause I think I’d prefer to be water-boarded by Hoshi” Jihoon responded with a smile.

“Ok, I’ll be quiet” Seungcheol beamed.

 

…………………………………………………………………………

At first he barely noticed it- Jihoon’s reaction. He was readying himself for the doubtless jump scares that lay ahead, but as the movie progressed, he was distracted as each moment of fright created a shiver on the smaller boy’s body, skin prickling and fine hairs on his neck rising. He could see that Jihoon did not want to turn away from the film at first, prideful, but it was obvious he was terrified nonetheless. One particular scene had him grasping at Seungcheol’s arm, squeezing his eyes shut and turning his head away from the screen in fearful anticipation.

"I can’t watch…..tell me when it’s over.." Jihoon whispered, flushed and nervous, hands pressed against his ears blocking the building crescendo of the gloomy soundtrack. Seungcheol’s other hand moved to rest on his back, rubbing a soothing circular pattern.

"Ok, sure " Seungcheol said. He looped one arm round Jihoon's waist and his other hand hovered over Jihoon’s back, before he became dangerously brave and settled it on the younger boy’s thigh.

After a while, Seungcheol finally announced, "You can look now." Jihoon turned back to face the movie just as another jump-scare flashed on screen causing the smaller boy to panic wildly. Seungcheol could not help but smile as Jihoon bumped against him, a full body shiver coursing through him and a small shriek escaped. He screwed his eyes shut and turned back around, head tucking into the older boy’s collar and hand grasping the front of Seungcheol’s shirt.

Jihoon poked him in the shoulder, face still borrowed in his neck “How are you not afraid!?” He whispered to him “How can you watch it straight on?” he asked in disbelief.

“Because I’m a man!” Seungcheol whispered back, the _‘Also, I’m too busy watching you to get scared_ ’ went unsaid.

Half way through the movie and Jihoon was practically cowering in his lap as he watched the horror unfold, Seungcheol however was watching the finer details; goose bumps breaking out across the younger boys’ arms, how sweet Jihoon smelled, the delicate fan of his eyelashes on his cheeks. He knew he wasn't supposed to look at what Jihoon was doing, he was _meant_ to be watching the movie- but every few minutes his gaze switched to watch Jihoon's face instead, his expression switching from concentration, to fear, to thrill and back again.

 

………………………

When the credits rolled, Jihoon immediately fled his lap, his ear’s burning red.

“That was ….good, but… I mean why did they stay in the house for so long after all the haunting started? And….Why didn’t they research the house before they bought it like _what the fuck_? I think they were just asking for it!”

“Yeah……” Seungcheol drawled, struggling to recall the movie they had just finished watching.

“That scene, with the woman crouching on top of the wardrobe…..ehhhh” Jihoon shuddered.

“I’m hungry, you want some Ice-cream” Seungcheol said frowning, trying to change the subject. He tried to not linger over the fact that he’d essentially missed three quarters of the movie to watch Jihoon reacting to it instead.

Jihoon shrugs his shoulders in agreement.

“Come,” Seungcheol says, standing up and tugging Jihoon out of bed. They make their way downstairs to the kitchen, the floor is vacant, the other pledger's and member's having returned to their dorms and rooms after the meeting.

“What flavours have you got?” Jihoon asked, peeking behind the older boy as he opened the fridge.

Seungcheol fished around the large ice box “Let’s see we got….Chocolate-Salted Caramel…..hmm…only one tub left it seems” he says.

“Mine!” Jihoon snaps, hand sneaking up to take the carton out of Seungcheol’s view.

“Heyyyyyy” Seungcheol whined “……Can’t we share…sharing is caring Jihoon!”

“I shared my bacon with you this morning….that’s enough sharing for one day, maybe even a lifetime!” Jihoon said, pulling out a spoon from the draining rack and boosting himself up on the kitchen table.

He eyes the older boy, noting his pouty display at being denied a treat and deliberately pulls the lid off the carton slowly, humming to himself in satisfaction. He dips the spoon in, scoops up one mouthful and pops it into his mouth. When the rich chocolate slides over his tongue, followed by a thin scrape of tartness from the salted caramel, Jihoon’s eyes flicker shut and despite his best attempts at containing it, he lets out an involuntary moan.

When he opens his eyes again, Seungcheol is watching him, **_raptured_**. Jihoon closes his mouth around the spoon and he gives a _slow_ , _wet_ suck, holding Seungcheol’s gaze.

Jihoon licks his lips once before speaking “None for you, you’ve had enough treats for today!” He said without malice.

“Awwww…C’mon Jihoon…. just give me a little bit” Seungcheol huffs at him, holding his own spoon in one hand at the ready.

"Hmm….maybe….Want some?" he says, scooping out a spoonful. Seungcheol nods excitedly and moves forward quickly, hoping Jihoon won’t pull back, flinch or deny him, but Jihoon doesn’t move and Seungcheol closes his mouth around the spoon and gets a mouthful of chocolate-caramel-heaven. Jihoon smirks and pulls the spoon out of his mouth. He scoops out another bite for himself but Seungcheol moves in again, _closer_ and Jihoon slides his knees open to let him, watching, pressing the spoon softly to Seungcheol’s lips. Seungcheol parts his mouth and smiles, deliberately letting his dimples pop into view.

Jihoon thinks that Seungcheol’s numerous girlfriends must love that, the dimple thing. Like the adorable oaf even needed dimples.

Seungcheol reaches forward again, crowding him further on the table, silently requesting another bite. "You want _more?_ Haven’t you had enough? You’re really greedy Seungcheol. You think you can take whatever you want huh?" he says and feeds Seungcheol another bite.

Jihoon’s jaw slacks slightly when Seungcheol makes a low, almost filthy sound of agreement low in his throat and says "I _always_ get what I want" as he leans in to take another mouthful, tongue nipping out to lick the remaining cream from his lips. Jihoon’s grip on the spoon falters at the sight and it drops to the floor clattering against the tiles.

They both move at the same time to pick it up and inadvertently head-butt each other.

“Ow fuck!” Jihoon recoils back in pain, rubbing his head with his palm, cold from holding the carton of ice-cream.

“Sorry baby!” Seungcheol apologizes quickly, reactively catching himself on the countertop, hands on either side of Jihoon’s hips.

“Baby?” Jihoon flicked his eyes to his, startled as he heard the endearment and turned his head like he couldn’t quite believe what he heard. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, clearly struggling to speak.

Seungcheol bites his lip, feels his heart rate spike, blood roaring in his ears, but expertise makes his voice come out steady and relaxed. "If you don’t like it.. I can call you something else?”

Jihoon’s eyes follow him, curious.

Seungcheol continues “How about I call you..…sugar? Honey? Sweety? …or maybe Salty?” Strangely, Jihoon’s initially defensive expression softens into something like _fondness._

Jihoon let out a choked laugh. "Salty?" he questions, his eyes are soft, a little dreamy.

“Yeah, Salty Jihoon……kinda has a ring to it don’t ya think?”

Jihoon looked at him for a long moment. "I--" he began then stalled, his expression blank for a moment before “I like baby…you should stick with that” He looked both shy and earnest, and some of the tightness in Seungcheol's chest loosened.

"Okay," Seungcheol replied nervously, reaching up to brush back a stray lock of pink hair that had come loose. “Baby”

Jihoon let out an endearing sound that was, half snort-half giggle, and the rest of the tightness in Seungcheol's chest loosened completely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Think I might have been really hungry when I wrote this.......And now I am hungry after editing.  
> This chapter is brought to you by Bacon, Ice-cream and me crapping myself in fear watching The Conjuring.


	5. Hide-N-Seek

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Late night conversations, laundry and play time.

Lying on his side of the bed and Jihoon’s mind is going a mile a minute, which makes it impossible to sleep, or fake sleep. Jihoon’s not _exactly_ sure what just happened in the kitchen. He feels breathless, confused and dizzy, whatever it was, he wants it to happen again. _Soon_. But he estimates that mentioning their _'moment'_ with the ice-cream in the kitchen would be like treading through a mine field, the best way to navigate it was by completely avoiding it. That was his plan _essentially,_ because despite the cute nicknames and the light touches, he doesn’t know what the hell Seungcheol is thinking-he’s probably straight-like Jihoon used to think he was approximately 4 days ago, before Seungcheol barged into his life and made him seriously question his sexuality.

 

He tells himself that Seungcheol is a friendly guy. That he’s probably friendly like this with…others? _Was he though?_

Jihoon may not be acquainted with the entirety of Seungcheol’s inner circle but he hasn’t bore witness to any excessive displays of affection between the older boy and his friends in his few days at the house. It’s not sufficiently causal-so he can’t decide how he’s going to react based on that information alone. He needs more encouraging evidence of Seungcheol’s ‘leanings’ before he says or does anything that could turn this situation super awkward-super fast.

Seungcheol speaks suddenly, interrupting his train of thought “You still awake little spoon?” Jihoon snorted at yet another new nickname _, little spoon_.

“Little spoon? _What_ is it with you and these nicknames?” He asked the boy lying next to him, a small distance separating them.

“What?…It’s a fact, you’re the _little_ spoon to my _big_ spoon” Seungcheol said.

“I’m not a little spoon-I’m not a spoon at all….I’m a knife!” Jihoon said, voice hushed as he tried to hold back a laugh.

Seungcheol chuckled next to him “Cause you’ll cut me up if I try and spoon you…yeah I remember”

“ **No** , cause I’m sharp and dangerous.....and yeah I’ll cut you up if you try and spoon me” Jihoon explained, starting to relax as they conversed in the dark.

“And you’re cool….knives are cool….I like knives” Seungcheol said dreamily.

Jihoon let out a choked laugh. “Ok, I feel like there is an after school special about Knife safety that you _obviously_ missed in school. I’m going to have to download it and make sure you watch it”

Seungcheol laughs, low and rumbling. “You know what I mean…knives and spoons are like ….really compatible, they always hang out.” He affirmed.

Jihoon snorted in amusement at the other boys reasoning “Is that your idea of a line?”

“….Maybe…I’m just saying…Knives and Spoons are pretty close in the cutlery drawer, they go together.. really well"

“Don’t you mean knives and _forks_? Knives and forks are always hanging out, spoons are kinda like the third wheel of the group. Like a knife _will_ reluctantly hang out with a spoon if it has too, but only if the fork’s not around.” Jihoon teased, turning in bed to face the older boy.

“You’re _definitely_ a knife, cause you’re cutting up my feelings with your sharp words” Seungcheol feigned hurt, clutching at his chest. “I must be a fork then” he added.

“No, you’re a spoon for sure, but not just any kinda spoon, you’re like an ice-cream scoop spoon.

“Cause I’m fancy and fun and enjoy the summer sun?” Seungcheol asked.

“Nooo..” Jihoon struggled to keep his laughter low “Cause you hog all the fucking ice-cream”

“ **Hey** you **fed** me!” Seungcheol blurted out aloud.

“ _Shhhh_ ….you’re gonna wake Wonwoo up. You know what he’s like when he loses sleep!” Jihoon chided quietly clamping a hand around Seungcheol’s mouth.

Seungcheol broke out into a sloppy grin “I _do_ know…what’s funny is that you _also_ know what he’s like, and you’ve only known him for like… four days” He whispered back.

“Haha yeah…something about him tells me he would totally flip if you disturbed his sleep…I’m not sure what exactly” Jihoon surmised.

“Once, I had my music on too loud and it woke him up….he threatened to use me as a cadaver in his pathology assignment” Seungcheol confided.

“He would totally do that....and get away with it too! He’s smart like that, he’d know how to fake somebody’s death if he wanted” Jihoon whispered back in between giggles as Seungcheol nodded in agreement.

A pleasant silence followed allowing their breathing to even out and Jihoon sighed softly.

“So…little knife….” Seungcheol spoke again.

“Yes, ice-cream scoop….blagh....that’s a mouth full, I’ll just call you Scoops” Jihoon said thoughtfully.

“Scoops? Better than some of the other things you’ve called me, I can live with that. So……Can I spoon you?” Seungcheol asked because he’s impetuous and hasn't yet learned the fine art of subtlety.

Jihoon’s breath hitches at the request, but he swallows down his roiling apprehension and answers. “Again?”

“I only did it once, and it doesn’t _technically_ count cause you we’re _exactly_ consensual about it…..I kinda forced you” Seungcheol explained.

“ **Thank you** …you finally admit that you force spooned me!” Jihoon cheered quietly.

“You still enjoyed it though..” Seungcheol retorted, a sly grin painting his face.

Jihoon’s eyebrows raised  “Shhhhh…no I didn’t and you can’t prove that I did...…and what about last night. You spooned me a second time”.

“Ok, that _also_ doesn’t count because **_I_ ** didn’t know that **_you_** knew I did that…I thought I was spooning you on the sly…..so technically, it doesn’t count” He explained his logic with surprising confidence.

Jihoon bit his lip as he considered his response “I woke up and….caught you spooning me….then I went back to sleep”

“So what you’re saying is….you woke up….realized I was spooning you…and you enjoyed it so much you went back to sleep, hhmm…fair enough” Seungcheol accepts.

“ _Nooo_ …that’s not what I said…” Jihoon giggled, face burning. He couldn’t manage a persuasive argument because he secretly did enjoy the whole spooning thing they had going.

“I won that round little knife. So can we spoon….consensually?”

“If I say no…are you just gonna wait till I fall asleep and spoon me anyway?” Jihoon asked turning away again, back to older boy.

Seungcheol shook his head “I want you to _want it_ ”

Jihoon considered the consequences for a moment before replying “Ok Scoops…. _spoon away_ ”

Seungcheol fist pumped the air in silent victory and scooted over, grabbing at Jihoon’s arm and drawing the smaller boy back against his chest, mimicking his actions from previously, wrapping his arm snugly around Jihoon’s waist, his chest pressed against Jihoon’s back and forearm cushioning the smaller boy’s head.

Jihoon huffed softly, barely able to keep the smile off his face as he felt Seungcheol tuck his head into the crook of his neck, felt his breath against the little spot right behind his ear as he nuzzled against him.

This was … _nice._

“Hey Scoops” he asked, voice hushed.

“Yes little knife….” Seungcheol asked, lifting his head to regard him.

“You can spoon me.... but no forking” he joked.

They both erupted in loud laughter, rolling in the bed in hysterics until they were halted by Wonwoo banging violently on the wall between their rooms.

“ **IT'S TWO IN THE FUCKING MORNING!** … **you guys keep it the fuck down or else!”** Wonwoo yelled

“Oh shit we released the Craken!”

………………………………………………………..

Jihoon’s not sure if he’s just supremely anal about cleanliness, or because he’s never lived in a home with more than three people or that a group of guys living together are bound to be naturally disorganized- but never has he met a single group of people so completely inept at handling basic household chores.

Mingyu reigns over the kitchen and maintains it, which Jihoon thinks, has to be the hardest job in the house when you consider the enormous and frankly terrifying appetites he has to deal with on a daily basis. The others seem to have no assigned roles, or they switch responsibilities constantly, so that nobody can be held accountable for when the laundry piles up and the rubbish overflows to dangerously unhygienic levels.

So, to resolve it- they’re having a meeting about it in the living room.

“Should we be discussing this in front of… _you know who_?” Hoshi says, eyeing Jihoon suspiciously.

“You know who? Lord Voldemort isn’t here right now Hosh, so you can chill” Seungcheol answers flatly.

“Hosh, I don’t think chore duty is a high on the list of fraternity trade secrets with Beta-Tau-Sigma, Jihoon isn’t exactly going to get brownie points if he tells them we suck at chores.” Wonwoo offers.

Hoshi narrows his eyes briefly, before shrugging and sliding into the seat across from Jihoon, mimicking the others disinterest in the meeting.

DK is half asleep on the couch; Vernon is sitting on the coffee table flipping through a magazine and Wonwoo is scribbling away in a notebook, taking minutes, his forehead creased in concentration.

“Do we _really_ need to take the minutes of a meeting about cleaning duties?” Mingyu asked aloud in disbelief.

“Yes Mingyu, **Yes we do** because SOMEBODY, _I’m not going to say who_ \- never does their share of the laundry and SOMEBODY, _and I’m not naming any names here_ -Always denies it’s their job in the first place” DK words his accusations- somewhat vaguely.

“Somebody?….you mean Cheol-Hyung right?” Vernon said pointedly, not looking up from his reading.

“Yes.” DK nodded in agreement.

“What? What the fuu….I’m the president!” Seungcheol said in outrage.

“And **as** the president, you should be setting an example for the others to follow, you shouldn’t get special treatment” Jihoon chimes in.

“Woah….hey…Jihoon baby, who’s side are you on?” Seungcheol gasps, nudging him slightly.

“Not yours, I haven’t seen you lift a finger the whole time I’ve been here. Mingyu looks after the whole kitchen, that’s the hardest job in the whole fucking house! Jihoon adds.

Mingyu lets out a small cheer “Just for that Jihoon, I’m gonna bake you a cake!”

“He likes red velvet cake. Don’t you Jihoon, yeah red velvet cake” Seungcheol agrees on his behalf.

“I don’t make a habit of agreeing with traitors…but Jihoon is right” Hoshi adds his two cents.

“How exactly can he be a traitor Hosh?….Doesn’t he have to be part of the fraternity first? How can you be betrayed by your enemy?” Vernon argues.

“Semantics!” Hoshi huffs.

“Guys, we’re getting off topic again, Jihoon made a good point-Seungcheol should be solely responsible for Laundry” DK announced.

“I never said that! I just said I haven’t seen him clean-up is all!” Jihoon berated.

“So we are all in agreement, Seungcheol-Hyung has laundry duty?” Wonwoo voiced out loud.

 **“YES!”** they shouted in unison.

Seungcheol remained silent but turned to look at Jihoon disparagingly.

“Whoops….sorry scoops…..I’ll help you do it?” he offered in apology.

“You better!” Seungcheol said.

 

..........

Helping out quickly turned into Jihoon doing the laundry while Seungcheol busied himself with bouncing rolled up socks off his head for the better part of the afternoon.

“I’m sorry the first frat meting you are allowed to sit in on was about chores! We're usually not this _boring!"_ Seungcheol says aiming a sock straight into the laundry basket Jihoon was folding dried clothes into.

Jihoon smiles and sinks his hand back into the dryer to fish out more clothes. “I don’t mind.”

Seungcheol shoves his hands in his pockets and rocks back on his heels, sighing loudly. He could barely stand still, crossing and uncrossing his arms, his fingers twitching in anticipation. But why? He heaved himself up on the counter opposite the washer/dryer unit and watched Jihoon do his job for him.

"You’re probably right, about the responsibility being on me to set an example, but I think ….as the president I should have some leeway…the role should afford me some luxuries.”

Jihoon looked up from his task “I hope they impeach you”

He got a smirk from the other boy for that. He leaned over the bulky dryer to pull out more clothing from deep inside and as he struggled to untangle the garments he was certain Seungcheol’s eyes were on him.

He couldn’t be 100% certain without checking himself, but it felt as though the Seungcheol’s eyes were fixed on him with every bend and movement he made, every stretch down as he bent over the machine.

Seungcheol _was_ in fact watching, he was picturing the soft line of Jihoon’s back under his t-shirt, the swell of his ass. He pictured bending Jihoon over the dryer, spreading his legs, running his tongue down the curve of his spine, down the small of his back and biting one of those cheeks. He had to settle for biting his own lip instead because…

_Awww fuck where did that come from.._

Suddenly flustered, Seungcheol looks down at his hands and gives his stupidly hardening dick a quick rub with his palm. He felt too obvious and too idle to appear innocent and pulled out Jihoon’s phone from his pocket to distract him.

Just as Jihoon turned himself to look directly at the other boy. Much to his disappointment, Seungcheol wasn't looking at him. He was staring into his phone rather engrossed, an inscrutable look on his face as he tapped away.

Jihoon took his distraction as an opportunity to stare. To admire a little, his shirt- tight in _all_ the right places and riding up a little around his hips. And for the millionth time in the past four days, Jihoon found the older boy striking, hot and _sexy_ even.

_Why am I doing this to myself?_

"What are you doing Cheol-Hyung?" Jihoon asked, interrupting his own perverted thoughts of the older boy.

Seungcheol glanced up from his phone and gave him a mysterious look. "Nothing….just replying to some messages"

“oh..ok….hey, is that _my_ phone?” Jihoon asked, watching Seungcheol type.

“Uhm, yeah….” He said, not looking up from the screen.

“What are you doing? Are you going through my stuff?” Seungcheol just grinned, still not turning away from the screen.

“What are you doing?” Jihoon said trying to reach for the phone but Seungcheol merely raised it above his head, out of reach.

“Relax, I’m just replying to some of your messages ya know….just keeping up the illusion that your doing fine, still alive” He said.

“Who are you messaging? Have I got many messages?” Jihoon asked curious “Can I see?”

“A few…..and no you can’t see” Seungcheol replied, already back at the screen typing a response Jihoon could not see.

“……let me look!” Jihoon said, making another attempt for the phone in the older boy’s grip.

Seungcheol lifted the phone above his head again “Chill, you just got some messages from your parents, some guy called Minghao…"

“He lives across the hall from me” Jihoon clarified.

“…….someone called _Jeonghan_ and another called  _Joshua_..” Seungcheol continued.

“…friends of mine from back home who are studying here now too…”Jihoon said “You better not be going through my old messages, or my pictures! They’re private!” he added a small pout forming on his lips.

In lieu of answering, Seungcheol grinned, wiggled his eyebrows and turned back to the screen. Jihoon felt his eyebrows shoot up. “Seriously Cheol…there is personal stuff on there, don’t pry!” he asks reasonably.

“You got any naked selfies I can forward to myself? Just tell me where they are and I won’t have to go through your entire phone to find them” Seungcheol asked without looking away from the screen.

“And why the hell would I take naked selfies? To send to my grandparents? _‘Hey gramps check out all the fun I’m having at college! Thanks for the trust fund money that got me here xxxo!_ ’” Jihoon mocked.

“Maybe not that….maybe to send to a girlfriend….or _boyfriend?”_ he said, looking up briefly to see the smaller boy’s reaction to his words.

“I….I don’t have” Jihoon stuttered.

"Who’s Boo?” Seungcheol deflects smoothly.

“….oh, that’s Seungkwan” Jihoon explained cheeks flushing crimson.

Unsatisfied with the answer, Seungcheol persisted “And who is he?”

“Uhmm…a friend” Jihoon answered, starting to feel unbearably warm at the personal intrusion.

 _“….just_ a friend?...” Seungcheol asked, on further thought he realized he probably sounded a little possessive and so rounded up his question with “he says something about karaoke this Thursday night to make up for you ditching him at a party”

“Oh god! He’s obsessed with karaoke, he makes me go to every karaoke bar in town, it’s so annoying, cause he gets so competitive and I just do it for fun” Jihoon said, returning to his laundry folding duties, anything to get a breather.

Seungcheol smile, pleased with the answers he was getting. “I’ll tell him you're busy then _shall I_?” he offers.

“Yes, _please!”_ Jihoon said “I didn’t exactly ditch him at the party either…you can tell him I was kidnapped!” Jihoon retorted. He knows he’s not actually the Beta-Tau-Sigma mascot and there is no real reason for Seungcheol to keep his phone from him but he is willing to roll with the punches for now , maintain the incommunicado he’s been forced into as their prisoner. But the abrupt question and answer session unnerved him.

_‘maybe to send to a girlfriend….or boyfriend?’_

“When can I have my phone back?” Jihoon repeated.

“Not anytime soon, stop worrying about it…. I just uploaded your photos to a pile of dating sites..no biggie” Seungcheol laughed, locking the screen and pocketing the phone. “You look good as a blonde by the way”

“Really? I think of going back to that color sometimes but the maintenance is… **Oh my god** I told you not to look at my photos!” Jihoon huffed, stomping on the ground and turning back to his work.

There was an extended moment of silence as Seungcheol shuffled with something behind him then…

“Hey ...check it out” Seungcheol said, Jihoon wasn’t sure he wanted to ‘check it out’ because he was silently fuming but turned around regardless to observe the older boy who was now wearing a t-shirt…over his t-shirt.

Jihoon acknowledged him for a moment before it dawned on him “Is……is that _my t-shirt!?”_ Jihoon gasped.

“Yup……and it fits!” Seungcheol said, smiling proudly, hands on his hips like he was some kind of outlandish super-hero. _Two-T-Shirts-Man!_

“Hardly! You’re stretching it out-you fat bastard!” Jihoon laughed, fury forgotten.

Seungcheol grinned “Hey! It _accentuates_ my curves; I like it, it looks good on me…think I might keep it!”.

Jihoon giggled boldly “You look ridiculous! Your muscles are stretching it out!”

Seungcheol snorted. "I choose to take _that_ as a compliment. Tell you what. We can swap t-shirts, you get one of mine and I’ll keep this one…like a memento!”

“What! Why? What would I do with yours? Take it camping and use it as a tent?! He joked.

“Hey! It’s not my fault you’re so tiny!” Seungcheol said, holding out another one of Jihoon’s T-shirts against his chest. “Look how tiny this is…. _so tiny!”_ Seungcheol cooed.

“Oh fuck off!” Jihoon said, snatching the garment from the older boy.

“Little knife, tiny Jihoon…. _baby!”_ Seungcheol teased, picking up yet another shirt and cooing over it.

“Stop making fun of my tiny…. _my clothes!”_ Jihoon said shoving at the older boy’s chest lightly.

“I’m not making fun….I’m admiring them” Seungcheol said. “You’re so small, I could probably lift you with one arm”

“Shut your face, no you can’t!” Jihoon dared.

“Oh no? Let’s find out shall we?….” He said advancing on the smaller boy “Come ere….”

“No!..Nooo….stopp…cheol!” Jihoon huffed as Seungcheol kneeled and slipped one arm around his knees before hauling him up over his shoulder “Fuck….put me down you massive douche!”

“See…..I can _literally_ lift you with one arm…. _so so tiny_ ” Seungcheol laughed, spinning Jihoon around a little over his shoulder. “You’re so lucky you’re this small, you can hide anywhere!”

“Yeah..SOOO lucky getting easily kidnapped and teased” Jihoon said pounding the older boys back.

“I bet you’re probably the _best_ hide-n-go-seek player **ever!”** Seungcheol pondered “ Hey…We could play!”

“Oh my god Cheol-Hyung, you will do anything to shirk your chores!” Jihoon said as Seungcheol finally set him down again.

“Let’s play hide-n-go-seek, C’mon it will be fun!” Seungcheol said jumping excitedly on the spot like an over-grown puppy.

“How about no?”  Jihoon said trying to turn away, Seungcheol’s grip on his arm preventing him from budging an inch. “If I agree to play…….you agree to give me my phone privilege’s back!” Jihoon bit out impatiently. Since when did having access to your own phone become a privilege again?

Seungcheol seemed to disregard the idea all together at Jihoon’s request, before the smaller boy spoke again “I’ve done everything you’ve asked so far…..think about it, if I was _actually_ trying to escape I probably could have escaped from here the other day”

Jihoon could feel Seungcheol’s eyes steadily on him and it was horrifying, how much he must be giving away right now. He could admit that there were a handful of opportunities he could have used to escape by now, Sigma-Chi-Tau didn’t _exactly_ run a tight ship when it came to guarding their hostage. If he was really dead set on it, he would have found a way out. But he was…sort…kinda…having _fun?_ He couldn’t help the blush forming on his cheeks at the realization that he was an unwitting accomplice to his own imprisonment.

“I like having you here too” Seungcheol says, his voice unmistakably tender “This was the best-failed pledge we’ve ever done” he admits a dopey grin on his face.

“Failed?” Jihoon asks, confused.

“Uhh…failed..as in …..we haven’t caught Beta-Tau-Sigma’s attention” He said, voice wavering. “Tell you what, I’ll take you up on that challenge, if you can stay hidden for….20 minutes? You get your phone back.

“20 minutes?….ok Deal!” Jihoon said feeling positive that the time limit was achievable.

“Yuh…but if I catch you…within 20 minutes” he points at his wrist watch to signal his target “I keep your phone **AND** I get something extra from you!” Seungcheol propositioned.

“Is it that T-shirt?” Jihoon asks, pointing at the garment Seungcheol was still stretching out with his bulkier frame.

“Wha?…no…I’m keeping this anyway” Seungcheol said, hugging himself.

“Uhh..FINE! So what do you want?” Jihoon said in defeat, now wasn’t the time to argue.

“You’ll find out when I catch you” Seungcheol said with a competitive tone to his voice.

 “ **IF** you catch me” Jihoon shouted over his shoulder as he ran out of the room.

“30…..29…..28…..27……26…..25…” Seungcheol started counting backwards.

…………………………………………

 

Jihoon bolts through the corridor into the living area, frantically searching for a secluded spot to secure himself in.

Mingyu and DK are sitting on the couch, absorbed in a T-V show but sense his urgency.

“Hey, what’s up Jihoon?” Mingyu asks, still focused on the show.

“I need a place to hide, a good place I can hide in for twenty minutes!” he snapped.

“Oh god, _what did you do?_ Did you mix Wonwoo’s shirts with Cheol’s underwear? Wonwoo _hates_ that. You’re gonna need to hide for more than twenty minutes Jihoon” Mingyu said.

“No, we haven’t gotten around to Wonwoo’s stuff yet….we’re playing hide-n-seek” Jihoon explains, realizing it sounds ludicrous just as he says it. “Sorry…. it was his idea” Jihoon said looking around anxiously for a suitable hiding spot.

“That guy will do _anything_ to get out of doing his chores!” DK complained “You know what…I’m going to bring this up in the next frat meeting!”

“Uhmm….we just had one of those meetings, look how that turned out” Mingyu offered.

 DK sighed in exasperation “Dammit you’re right…there’s just no way around it, we can’t even beat him with brute strength... he would just kick our asses”

“ **Guys _please!”_** Jihoon whined, cautious that his time to find a hiding location was dwindling rapidly.

Mingyu off course, being his considerate self, ushers Jihoon to the loft and insists that a spot behind the heavy book case is the perfect location to hide out. He kneels down, making himself as small, _smaller_ , as possible and tries to even his breathing to reduce the noise he is emitting out of sheer nervousness.

He listens carefully, strains his ear. A voice bleeds into the air, catching his attention. It sounds far away, muted by distance or by the blood pumping through Jihoon’s ears as he tries to stay deathly silent and still.

“Where oh where could little Jihoonie be?” he could hear the older boy sing song as he walked through the house.

“Are you….hiding under **Wonwoo’s bed?”** Seungcheol asked no-one “Nope, not here!”

He heard the thudding of footsteps down the corridor on the second floor.

“Are you hiding…..in **Vernon’s bathroom**?!”

 **“Aggghhhhhhh!”** He heard a scream echo though the house.

“Woah, Holy shit! Sorry Vernon…..must _un-see,_ must _un-see_!!”

The voice became more distant and then suddenly he heard the loft door creak open “Or are you in **the loft?”** he heard Seungcheol ask from inside the room. He couldn’t see the older boys face, but he could tell he was smiling from ear to ear.

A voice echoed through the house _“He knows where you are Jihoon! Sorry pal, he threatened us with dirty laundry!”_

_Fuck! Cheater!_

Jihoon was still confident he could hide as long as they didn’t give Seungcheol specific details regarding his hiding spot, if that failed, he could always make a run for it.

He listened as Seungcheol ambled around the loft casually, lifting up cushions to check if Jihoon was perhaps even small enough to hide under one of them. “Man, this is hard, I can’t seem to find little Jihoonie anywhere, serves me right trying to play hide-n-seek….with _thumbelina!”_ Seungcheol said voice teasing.

 **“HEY!”** Jihoon protested instinctively-then slapped a hand over his mouth. Only his grandparents were allowed to call him that, Seungcheol must have read through some of their messages on his phone.

“Well…well…..well…..look who we have here! _Thumbelina_ …” Seungcheol said, voice raspy as he rounded one side of the bookcase “And within the time limit as well…. If _only_ you weren’t so prideful Jihoon, you _would_ have stayed hidden, you _could_ have won”

“You cheated!” Jihoon seethed petulantly, still crouching on the spot.

“We never agreed that I couldn’t cheat…even if it’s a little underhanded that I threatened Mingyu and DK with my dirty underwear!” Seungcheol admits.

“You used my personal nickname against me….only my grandparents are allowed to call me that! You read my personal messages” Jihoon snapped.

“You can’t expect privacy in prison Jihoon. I won, not fairly but _squarely!”_

“Hmm…you haven't won yet,…..you still have to catch me!” Jihoon pointed out, dodging quickly to the other side of the book-case as Seungcheol reached for him. He sprinted to the door and was half way there when he was tackled by the larger boy. Seungcheol gripping him around the middle and turning as he undertook him, so he would land on the ground and take the brunt of the fall, pillowing Jihoon protectively against his chest.

_Fuck! He’s fast……..duh..Sports Major, you had no chance!_

“Uh-uh…” Seungcheol tutted, squeezing the smaller boy in his iron grip “No escape, You lost…..you know what that means!”

“No…..” he didn’t get a chance to reply before Seungcheol flipped their positions and pinned him to the ground, holding his wrists above his head.

“I get something from you… _baby”_ Seungcheol reminded him. There's a snide comment on the tip of Jihoon's tongue, but it evaporates when he sees the look on Seungcheol’s face, eyes lecherously sliding down his body.  

Jihoon hesitantly eyes the boy hovering above him, hands pinning his own on either side of his head. “What….what do you want?” Jihoon spoke just as Seungcheol released his grip on one wrist, trailed it down his chest and tugged his legs apart to settle in-between them.

After a moment, Seungcheol’s free hand cups his jaw, and in that very moment, Jihoon has no doubt in his mind what Seungcheol wants. Maybe he wouldn't even mind, hell he _knows_ he wouldn’t! Except there's more to this than his own lust and Seungcheol's impulses. It made sense for Seungcheol to celebrate his victory, but this went beyond that.

Seungcheol exhaled slowly, steadily gauging the younger’s appearance, seeing impatience lurking beneath a hooded gaze, but then Jihoon’s eyes widened suddenly. And Seungcheol thinks he’s messed up somewhere. He’s read this wrong or he’s coming on too strong.

“Jihoon baby, I don’t want to hurt you…..I _want_ you to want it” Seungcheol practically purred, one hand resting on Jihoon’s cheek, thumb caressing the skin there gently.

Jihoon’s heard him say it before, but now it makes his ears burn. “Cheol, I…”

“I don’t remember much about school but I’m _pretty_ sure that’s not how you play hide-n-seek you guys” DK suddenly announces from the doorway, breaking their trance.

Seungcheol huffed “DK…as always….your timing is…really, _really shitty_ ” Seungcheol says, releasing Jihoon’s wrists and straightening his back “What do you want?”

“Hoshi is downstairs, he has something to show you…I _think_ you will probably want to see this. You too Jihoon” DK says, raising his hands in submission as he took in Seungcheol’s glare.

………………………………

“So it turns out Jihoon isn’t the Beta-Tau-Sigma mascot after all!” Mingyu says, pointing at an article in the college newsletter about the unveiling of the rival fraternity’s new mascot, with a picture in the column of the real mascot, standing stiffly, definitely **NOT** a living breathing person- but a statue.

Hoshi had read the article at the campus’ coffee shop, and rushed back to tell the others, that despite their best intentions, they were, as Jihoon tried to explain to them several times, mistaken.

“HA! I told you! I told you all!” Jihoon gloated in victory.

A chorus of sorry's drifted through the room, whereas Seungcheol remained contemplatively silent.

“On the bright side Jihoon, I baked you a red velvet cake! Mingyu offered in apology.

“Wrap it up Mingyu and I’ll take it with me cause I am outta here…..sweet sweet freedom!” Jihoon’s voice echoed as he rushed up the stairs to collect his belongings from Seungcheol’s room.

He whistled happily to himself as he packed, satisfied with his small victory despite not actually having risked any loses.

A quick glance up and his mood falters as he see’s Seungcheol standing at the entrance of the room, watching him thoughtfully.

“Don’t feel bad Cheol-Hyung…you couldn’t have known, except if you had have done some actual research and used some common sense…and maybe listened to me!” He teased the older boy.

“I already knew” Seungcheol replied, completely truthful.

“Whh…..what?…what do you mean?” Jihoon asked, stunned in place.

Seungcheol’s brows pinch together “I found out yesterday morning, when I went out for a run, to pick up your stuff. I took a shortcut back and passed the Beta-Tau-Sigma house…I saw the memorial on their front lawn….there it was, their mascot. Honestly, it’s a little underwhelming compared to you. They don’t know what they’re missing out on” he said.

“W……why didn’t you say anything?” Jihoon asked, confused at the delay.

Seungcheol shrugged his shoulders “Guess…guess I didn’t want you to leave so soon!”

Rather than being annoyed by this, as Jihoon probably would be with anyone else wasting his time in this manner, he finds that Seungcheol’s words _please_ him, actually _excite_ him in a way he never felt before. “And…when exactly would you have told me?”

“Maybe waited till classes started….then let you leave…it’s not like you were missing out on college life” Seungcheol defended. “You’re not mad at me …are you?” he asked hesitant to know the answer.

Jihoon gave him a look that was a cross between cool and calculating. It was new and Seungcheol didn’t know what to make of it. Didn’t know what to make of _his own admission._ Was he being delusional? Did he imagine the chemistry between them? Jihoon himself had said he had opportunity to escape but _didn’t_. At any rate, Jihoon wasn’t the Beta-Tau-Sigma mascot, and even if Seungcheol wanted to delay his departure he certainly wasn’t going to hang around the fraternity for no reason, but it was a fun few days playing pretend.

Jihoon regards the older boy for a moment, the muscles in Seungcheol' neck and shoulders are visibly tense and for once there's nothing fake, nothing teasing or mocking in the frown on his face. He’s looking at Jihoon like he’s laid everything out on the line, and Jihoon feel’s apprehensive and yet simultaneously ...like he wants to throw himself into Seungcheol’s arms.

Very carefully, Jihoon reaches out pokes him in the chest. “You’re so fucking stupid….you don’t have to keep me locked up so we could spend more time together….I wanted….I want to spend time with you”

Seungcheol's lips twitch slightly and then he's all out grinning and wrapping himself around Jihoon in another shameless display of affection “I knew you couldn’t be mad at me little spoon!”

Jihoon gasped at the tight embrace, squeezing oxygen out of his lungs “Nuh-uh…little knife!” he reminds him. Seungcheol abruptly lets him go, holding him at arms length, a serious expression on his face.

“So, if you’re not in Beta-Tau-Sigma….maybe you want to join the **best** fraternity on campus?” Seungcheol says.

Jihoon laughs at the suggestion dismissively, then quickly remembers what he has to look forward to when he gets back to his dorm. **Henry** , Henry and his friends _the birds!_

“Hmm…don’t I need to rush for a frat? And get a bid?” Jihoon asked, suddenly not sure why he was in such a hurry to return to his dorm when he realised what awaited him.

"Easy, DONE. I just bid for you. You’re already technically part of the fraternity. I went a little light on the hazing but I’ll make up for it later. Seungcheol says. "The pledge challenges are really just a _formality_ , I’ll pick something easy for you to do…nothing stupid"

“Nothing stupid like…steal a rival frats mascot stupid?” Jihoon suggested

“That wasn’t stupid! It was a _good_ plan just …poorly…researched and executed. Besides if we didn’t try we… **WE** ” he signals between them ”would never have met. And I’ve enjoyed having you here….aren’t you a _little_ happy I kidnapped you?” Seungcheol asked, probably the weirdest and most indelicate way of checking if someone was interested in you- but it was familiar ground for them.

“Hmm…a little” he says slowly, he clears his throat and tell Seungcheol “I think you should still make it up to me”

“How?” Seungcheol asks.

“For starters, you can walk me back to my dorm” Jihoon suggests.

“I was going to do that anyway” Seungcheol says pulling on his jacket.

Jihoon continues “You can also buy me food….”

“Easy!” The older boy says quickly, grabbing his wallet from the desk.

“And can you carry my stuff back for me?” Jihoon finished, idly toying with a button on Seungcheol’s Jacket.

“ _Anything_ for you baby” Seungcheol replies and _damn_ , if that doesn’t make something clench in Jihoon’s chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. I'm going with the flow on this one. Taking my time cause it feels right? Lol I hope to crank it up a notch soon though! I hope you enjoy how this is playing out :)


	6. Bitey-Witey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Term starts and Jihoon's friends suck.

The walk back to his dorm is-a little _wonderful_ , Jihoon would agree. They spend a good hour walking the long way back to the dorms, side by side at a leisurely pace, discussing Jihoon’s first week of classes, Seungcheol’s upcoming basketball matches and their respective home-towns. Jihoon felt they were both utterly familiar with each other despite only meeting in the last week.

When they reach the end of one block, Seungcheol nods towards a dimly lit restaurant at the corner “How about there, the food’s good, I think you’d like it”

Jihoon blinks, stunned, turns to him then “You can just buy me a burger Hyung.... we don’t have to fork out for a fancy -shmancy restaurant to make it up to me”

“ _Fancy-shmancy_?” Seungcheol questions, a playful expression on his face.

Jihoon pouts and shoves at him lightly. “You know what I mean…let’s just get a burger or pizza or something. It doesn’t have to be expensive, don’t waste your money, I’m not even angry at you really, I’m just ...hungry” Jihoon explains.

“Are you _hungry-wungry_?” Seungcheol asked, holding a surprisingly sombre expression considering he was still taking the piss.

“Holy shit Seungcheol-Hyung stop being a witty-shitty” He joined in on the mockery.

“Alright, ok...I’m sorry….. I’ll stop. There’s a Grill Bar one block down, it’s does pretty decent burgers and stuff….now it’s not _fancy-shmancy_ , but I think it will make my _angry-wangry_ , _jihoonie-woonie_ , very  _happy wappy_ ” he teased.

Jihoon slaps him on the arm hard, huffing in a disbelieving laugh.

………………………………….

Once they’ve finished eating, Seungcheol diligently escorts him to his dorm, despite Jihoon’s insistence that he’s already taken up too much of Seungcheol’s time, that he can manage the rest of the way himself and no he wasn’t going to invest in pepper spray and a rape whistle.

But the older boy doesn’t budge and mutters something along the lines of “Protecting his interests” and something else about “Fragile Cargo” as he marches ahead of Jihoon ready to strike out at any would be attackers.

Jihoon is, all things considered, pretty _overwhelmingly terrible_ at picking up any physical or verbal cues when it comes to sexual attraction. He’s had a variety of nicknames, earned from his ability at averting an emotional and physical connection with any interested parties. One girl in his class at school called him ‘the emotional cripple’ after he failed to notice her numerous attempts at flirtation. Jihoon had at the time simply thought she was trying to copy his homework. How was he to know? Where was the evidence?

But he doesn’t have to have a breadth of experience or a degree of some kind to know that with the looks Seungcheol is giving him, he is interested in him. He's interested in less of a platonic _‘hey I’m sorry I kidnapped you’_ way and more of a _‘how long do I have to know you before its acceptable to screw your brains out?’_ kinda way. He has to admit, catching glimpses of that look is a little _exciting_.

When they reach his dorm room, Seungcheol stands a little way behind as Jihoon fiddles through his pocket for the key. The whole situation reminds Jihoon of a puppy waiting patiently for a treat, to reward his good behaviour and he giggles at the thought.

“You can go Cheol-Hyung-I’m home free now” Jihoon says, looking over his shoulder at the older boy.

“When you’re safe inside, I’ll leave” Seungcheol replies thoughtfully.

“Lightening doesn’t strike the same place twice Hyung-I’m not going to get kidnapped twice in the same week!” he said, beginning to dig through his second pocket for the ill-behaved key.

Seungcheol shrugs his shoulders non-committally “Hmmm...Maybe not kidnap you again, but somebody could hurt you”

“Right outside my door....I doubt it...besides, I’m already all bruised up Hyung” Jihoon says, flashing his key and his bruised wrists jointly.

Seungcheol’s eyes narrow and the look of stark regret which flashes across his face does something funny to Jihoon’s stomach.

Seungcheol reaches down to take hold of Jihoon’s hands, one in each hand. Turning them to examine the discoloration running along the inside of his wrists, thumb gently skimming the bruised area, a slightly distressed look on his face “I thought these would heal by now, you bruise like a peach baby” He squeezes Jihoon’s hand delicately and smiles, before pressing his lips softly to the inside of one wrist as a form of apology. The unexpected sign of affection anchors Jihoon to the spot.

And that’s when it happens, Jihoon leaning forward on the tips of his toes, lifting his head and gripping Seungcheol’s varsity jacket collar to tug him down, lips against lips for the first time in a chaste kiss. Seungcheol claps a hand across his back to support him up, eyes instinctively shutting.

They pull back slightly, eyes locking with one another, before pressing forward again to renew the touch. They exchange a few more lax kisses, separating each time before the hand on his back slides up to his nape and Seungcheol angles his head to deepen the kiss. Jihoon’s ears burn as a tongue sweeps into his mouth. Seungcheol’s lips are warm and parted and the slick glide of a rough tongue against his is so fucking amazing that Jihoon doesn’t want to move, doesn’t want it to stop even though he’s acutely aware that he’s standing in the middle of his dorm corridor making out with a senior.

When they pull apart for air, they turn to see that Jihoon’s bedroom door now open, and Henry is standing there watching them, paused in mid-step, a rubbish bag in his hand, he’d obviously caught them on his way to empty the trash.

Henry doesn’t bother to pretend he hasn’t been watching their exchange. “That looks nice” he says rather flatly.

It’s probably the most idiotic thing to say because Seungcheol rounds on him menacingly “You even think of trying that with him and I’ll fucking kill you Henry, then I’ll have your body stuffed like one of your fucking birds” Seungcheol threatens pointing his finger dangerously. The sudden shift in his mood is rather thrilling for Jihoon.

“Cheol! Relax, I told you he was home-schooled, he’s probably never seen people kiss let alone guys kiss!” Jihoon soothes the irate older boy, brushing out the crease on his jacket were he gripped the material.

“I sometimes watch movies about…” Henry began

“I SWEAR to god Henry!” Seungcheol snarls, waving his fist, forcing the stranger to retreat back into the safety of his room. “I don’t like you rooming with him Jihoonie,…. he’s creepy and lecherous!” he spits pointing at the closed door where Henry was standing behind, no doubt cowering in fear.

 “But Cheol… _You’re_ pretty lecherous too Hyung” Jihoon teases gently.

“…..Yeah but…that’s..that’s different…..you like it right? When I’m lecherous” He asks brows creasing cutely.

It's sweet and so utterly charming that something flutters again in Jihoon's stomach as he replies sincerely “Off course,….you can get away with it cause you’re hot”

Seungcheol’s face creases into a lopsided grin, and Jihoon finds himself smiling back. It’s startling how the older boy can transform his face suddenly. One smile can make him kind and approachable and at the same time another smile was predatory and untouchable.

“If he tries anything, you call me and I will be here…”

“He’s not stupid Cheol-Hyung” Jihoon says, silencing him with a finger against his lips “I’ll kick his ass myself if he does, I don’t need your protection”

Seungcheol regards him for a moment, before dipping his head down in what Jihoon thinks is the initiation of another kiss but then Seungcheol tilts his head, one hand pulling his t-shirt collar wide, exposing Jihoon’s shoulder, giving him ample room to bite down hard on the creamy skin. Jihoon is shell-shocked for a second then hisses at the pain “Oh…oh fuck”

It’s sudden but then it’s all over and Seungcheol is releasing his jaw and lifting off again “Too bad, you’re getting it anyway so deal with it!” Seungcheol states bluntly.

"Uh-huh." Jihoon replied, breath hitching, knees trembling at how Seungcheol’s voice went low and dry, rumbling with a purr when he was turned on and focused on him, possessive.

“Good luck with your first week, hopefully I will see you around campus but I know the first week will be hectic, but message me anyway if you want to meet up” He says, glancing over his shoulder as he wandered down the corridor towards the exit.

“Kay-…bye-hyung, and...thanks” Jihoon manages to say. Seungcheol waves a hand at him as he pushes through the double doors into the stairwell.

After he enters his room, he stands still for a moment registering everything that just happened and then slumps bonelessly against the door, hand reaching up to touch the bite on his shoulder tentatively. It’s hot, a little tender to the touch, but strangely pleasant.

 _That gorgeous bastard just claimed me_ -Jihoon thought wistfully

“Henry, you can come out of hiding now, he’s gone”

 

 

……………………………………………….

1pm on a Wednesday and Jihoon was seated at a desk in the back study room of the library doing research for an assessment he’d been assigned earlier in the week when he hears his phone vibrate against the keys in his jacket pocket. He listens with half an ear as it continues to buzz, signaling the arrival of an onslaught of messages. When it becomes impossible to ignore-he fishes it out, after marking the chapter in his study book.

There’s a few notifications which he promptly swipes of the screen and a message from Seungkwan.

 ***Seungkwan: Grabbing lunch with J+J, meet us at the canteen.*** One message reads

He gathers his belongings up slowly, keeping half and eye on the phone as he pulls on his jacket, it buzzes again.

 ***Seungkwan: Hurry there is a massive Q! *** it read.

***Jihoon: Om my way!***

As he makes it to the canteen entrance, the queue extends around the side of the building, Wednesday lunch time was a pizza special and hugely popular amongst freshman, he’s not sure he’s patient enough to queue for long but spotting Seungkwan and the others in the queue he makes a beeline for them. Jeonghan looked, as usual, like he wasn’t paying attention at all, angry to be waiting and Joshua and Seungkwan were giggling stupidly over something they were looking at on their phones, practically snorting with laughter.

“Jihoonie” Jeonghan greets him warmly “Come starve with us in this queue! We’ve been standing here for twenty minutes at its barely moved an inch!” Jihoon smiles sheepishly, moving to stand next to him.

“It’s moving Jeonghan, just …very slowly” Joshua corrects “Ignore him Ji, he’s just in a bad mood because I woke him up for class!

“I don’t even know why I bothered showing up to my lecture this morning, half the class didn’t bother to…and it was just an introduction!” Jeonghan complains to them.

Jihoon clicked his tongue reproachfully. “I think they’re important, I was set a research assignment for next week in one of my introductory lectures, what happened to a grace period of getting used to longer working hours?” Jihoon huffed.

“See Jeonghan, you should listen to Ji, introductory lectures _are_ important, they establish the syllabus and you get to meet your professor-they’re judging you from the start!” Joshua defends.

“Whatever, I missed out on precious sleep because of you! Jeonghan said half-heartedly “You owe me for waking me up and making me go!” He said.

“I think it’s _Jihoon_ who owes us something you guys” Seungkwan interrupts, making them turn their attention to Jihoon in unison.

Jihoon hesitates under their scrutiny for a moment before responding “Uhmmm why?”

“ **You** ” Seungkwan punctuates by poking him in the shoulder “Owe us an explanation for your disappearance last week! **You** ditched us at the Beta-Tau-Party. _Then_ **you** didn’t answer any of our calls or messages for like two days. I was worried sick! Care to explain that?”

Jihoon averted his gaze as he spoke, focusing his eyes at the front of the queue “I was sick, I went home for a few days” Jihoon lied, he had a distinctive lack of imagination when it came to making up lies-it’s why he usually avoided lying in favour of being blunt and sincere. It didn’t earn him any popularity but it saved him the hassle of forethought. Somehow-lying felt right on this occasion.

"Were you, now!" Seungkwan says, and it takes Jihoon a split second to realize that Seungkwan doesn't believe him, not in the slightest. “Now I find that really strange, because your parents contacted me last week when they couldn’t get a hold of you, so I know that you were **definitely** not at home Jihoon.

Jeonghan gasped, interest suddenly piqued at the revelation “Ohhh…you’re not very good at lying Jihoonie! Why would you lie to us? We are your friends!”

“Yeah!” Joshua chimes in giving him a sufficiently withering look and moving to stand in front of Jihoon so he could not avoid there inquisitive gaze.

“Look, something came up and I got….pre-occupied for a while. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you anyway” Jihoon explained, refusing to feel defensive.

Seungkwan imposes on him, eyes narrowed “Explain this then. When I couldn’t get a hold of you-I went to your dorm room to check you were ok - and **_Henry_** -that _weirdo_ , _seriously you need to move out of there_ \- kindly informed me that you hadn’t been sleeping in your room for last three days”

“Uhhhh” Jihoon stuttered less than eloquently, morale depreciating as he resigned himself to being subjugated by Seungkwan’s relentless barrage of questions. The guy would make a great police detective or Private investigator, if a career in arts never took off.

Seungkwan continued with the line of interrogation “He also told me that some _guy_ came over to pick up some of your personal possessions? He didn’t leave his name but he was built like a fucking brick shit-house and told **_Henry_** -that _creep_ , _seriously Jihoonie why are you still living their_ \- that you were staying with him…..care to share?” he asked, expression turning from shrewd to delight as he spoke.

Joshua gasped, raising his eyebrows and look faintly disapproving “Ji! Do you have a boyfriend you’re not telling us about?” And Jihoon is _extremely_ aware of the heat radiating on his cheeks at that question.

And before Jihoon can say anything to that, Jeonghan snorts "Something a little less far-fetched Joshua" making the small boy bristle with irritation.

Jihoon held up his hand, their continued snickering feeding the spark of annoyance. “How about you fuck off Jeonghan” he suggested, a little abruptly “…and No Joshua he’s not my boyfriend….not exactly anyway” Jihoon hesitates, man this _was_ awkward.

They exchange glances amongst each other before Seungkwan crosses his arms and asks “Ok-then who was he? And where were you last week?”

“Does it matter? You won’t believe me anyway and you’ll probably just laugh” Jihoon defends, it was an unbelievable story at best even if he had the inclination to bother describing it in detail. He was hoping the queue would move on soon to save him the embarrassment of explaining something he wasn’t sure how to.

“Well we won’t know that till you tell us!” Jeonghan said, standing next to the other two, all three of them facing him down as the queued.

“Yeah, I promise we will reserve our laughter unless it is _very_ necessary” Joshua added more warmly.

“Fine!” Jihoon snapped. “I was kidnapped by some Sigma-Chi-Tau Fraternity members as part of a pledge mission-because they thought I was another frat’s mascot. Then they held me hostage for a few days before they found out I wasn’t and then they let me go”

After his brief explanation, his friends exchanged glances again, expressions subdued for a moment-before they erupted in laughter.

“Jihoonie! That’s too funny! That’s the most creative lie you’ve come up with!” Joshua coughs.

Jeonghan is laughing too hard to say just anything and Seungkwan’s face his turning a multitude of colours as he tries to restrain himself.

“If you’re going to lie to us, please try and come up with a more convincing story next time!” Seungkwan says between breaths. Jihoon shoves his hands in his pockets and tries not to think about murdering his friends for their lack of faith in his story.

“What’s next Jihoonie? Are you going to join the fraternity now?” Jeonghan joked.

“Yeah actually that’s the plan” Jihoon says automatically, grimacing, which he hopes sounds convincing. His friends cracking up in renewed laughter tells him-it’s not. “Oh my god I’m telling the truth!” No matter how desperate he sounds to his own ears, he refuses to admit that he’s sulking.

“I knew you guys would react like this…this is why I didn’t want to tell you!” Jihoon huffs, folding his arms and re-joining the queue, trying his best to ignore his friends snorting.

 “You know what this reminds me of guys? That time poor Jihoonie got trapped in his locker in school and missed most of his classes-then told us he got bumped up a grade just for a day!” Jeonghan said, as he recovered from hysterics and wiped his eyes.

“You guy’s are such dicks!” He snarls. He’s about to stomp off in a dramatic display when suddenly he’s pulled backwards against a broad chest, strong arms encircling his waist and pulling him up onto his toes into a powerful back-hug. There’s a brief moment of sheer panic before he recognizes the scent of aftershave and clean sweat from the body behind him. _Seungcheol._

“Scoops?” He asks tentatively, who else could be brazen and possessive enough.

“Hey little knife” the voice murmurs against his temple, giving him another soft squeeze and the remaining air in his lungs puffs out in a small hiss.

“Sorry Jihoon, Seungcheol-Hyung obviously has no concept of personal space when it comes to you-or… so I hear from DK” Mingyu teases, appearing from the side waving.

Jihoon manages a smile “It’s ok Mingyu...I’m quickly getting used to it” he wheezes, patting the arm around his waist in acceptance.

“Good, so I don’t have to stop then” Seungcheol says, nuzzling his shoulder tenderly, mouth ghosting over the bite mark he gave him, still raw underneath his shirt.

“Maybe you should Cheol, his lips are turning blue!” Mingyu scolds.

Seungcheol releases his hold on the smaller boy promptly at that “Sorry _baby_ ” he whispers against his temple. Jihoon’s head shoots up and he just manages to clamp down the little choking noise that threatens to spill as out at hearing his nickname whispered so reverently. He looks over his shoulder, smiling at Seungcheol, and resolutely does not blush at the adoration on the older boys face.

He's so swept up by the moment that he neglects to realize his friends are standing their watching the, jaws slack in disbelief, until Seungkwan coughs and draws his attention back to them.

“Uhmm..oh yeah, uh Cheol-Hyung, Mingyu, these _assholes_ here are my friends Seungkwan, Joshua and Jeonghan” He introduces them, voice calm and very matter-of-fact “I was just telling them how we met…but they didn’t believe me” He said, narrowing his eyes at the three boys, still starring dumfounded.

“Oh, the whole kidnapping thing you mean? Yeah…., it’s true, our bad” Mingyu affirms holding his hands up in guilt.

“I regret nothing” Seungcheol says, throwing his arm around Jihoon’s shoulder.

Seungkwan splutters like a fish out of water, Jeonghan just looked spaced out as he finished explaining but Joshua recovers first to ask “SO, it’s true? You kidnapped Jihoonie as part of a fraternity pledge? Really?”

“Technically, No. We didn’t kidnap him-we’re senior members, we just set the mission and our pledges carried it out, so technically we’re not at fault” Seungcheol offers in defense.

“Yeah Cheol-Hyung, but then you found out he wasn’t the Beta-Tau-Sigma mascot like a ..whole day before the rest and kept him locked up anyway!” Mingyu said pointedly.

“Don’t make it sound so sordid. He wasn’t in any immediate danger and we were having fun! I didn’t want the fun to end” Seungcheol says, sounding positively nostalgic about the entire ordeal.

“It’s alright Mingyu, I think it’s kinda sweet” Jihoon shrugged easily, unconcerned. He’d admit now how sweet the gesture was even if had been taking by surprise when he found out. Seungcheol grins happily at him in return.

“So…What are you guys doing here anyway?” Mingyu asked.

“Uhhh…we were..queueing for lunch…aw shit!” Jeonghan blurted out realizing that in all the commotion they had inadvertently lost their place in the queue which had now extended in size.

“The food here is shit anyway, if you guys are here for the pizza you should check out the Boca-Café by the Social-Sciences building-its way better and cheaper” Mingyu offers.

“Is there a queue?” Jeonghan asked.

“Haha, not usually-just don’t tell a lot of people about it or there will be one day!” Mingyu smiles. “We just passed by there and it was relatively empty, you should be good”

“I wanna go eat!” Seungcheol said excitedly, squeezing Jihoon’s shoulders.

“NO! No Cheol-Hyung, remember why we are here-you have to go pay your fine in the library” Mingyu scolded. “ _Somebody_ , set fire to their library book-then tried to return it”

“How…why? What….how did you manage that?” Jihoon asked looking at the older boy in confusion.

“Was it a fraternity tradition?” Seungkwan asked curious.

“It _kinda_ was…” Seungcheol began to say.

“No...no it wasn’t Hyung! He was trying to roast marshmallows in his room!” Mingyu revealed to the others.

“I was bored…..I blame you” Seungcheol grouses, pointing at the smaller boy.

“Me?! How is it my fault that you’re a dopey shit?” Jihoon laughs.

“I was bored when you left!” Seungcheol explains resentfully.

“And do you usually set fire to things when you’re bored?” Joshua asked.

“No-…but the book was the first thing in reach that I could use to douse the flames!” Seungcheol said.

“And how did that work out for you? Hmm?” Mingyu asked, raising his eyebrows.

“……it encouraged the flames” Seungcheol said rather sheepishly, head ducking in shame.

“I never asked you how exactly you came to be Chapter president-but I feel like the story is going to be equal parts unbelievable and insane. You’re a danger to yourself-you need constant supervision!” Jihoon says, reaching up to pat his head patronizingly in an off ward attempt at placating him.

“Yes, I agree you should come supervise me!” Seungcheol smiled delighted at his own genius.

“Cheol-Hyung is known for his occasional bursts of ingenuity-that wasn’t one of them” Mingyu laughed with them.

“You guys doing anything this Friday?” Mingyu offered “Cause we’re holding a Karaoke mixer at our frat house, you’re more than welcome to come-Jihoon we’d really appreciate if you came-we need you to occupy Cheol-Hyung so he doesn’t set fire to the guests”

“OH MY GOD! WE’LL BE THERE”! Seungkwan yells in his usual flurry of activity and excitement whenever Karaoke is mentioned in any context.

“ _Nooo_ …god, not karaoke!” Joshua and Jeonghan grimaced at their friend’s overt display of enthusiasm.

"I can’t go" Jihoon says shortly, enjoying the fact that it halts Seungkwan’s dance of joy. He doesn’t however- enjoy how those words have deflated Seungcheol, the arm around his shoulder growing heavy as he sulked visibly “I have my first assignment to research” he offers in reproach.

“Can’t it wait Jihoon, you have to make it up to us for ditching us at the party last week!” Seungkwan pleads.

“It’s due next week and I haven’t done enough research! Besides I didn’t ditch you…I was kidnapped!” Jihoon defended.

Seungcheol leans in closer “Bring the assignment with you, I’ll help you work on it for a while …. _then we can have some fun_ ” he says with a wink and from the look in his eyes, Jihoon’s pretty sure he's not just talking about Karaoke.

Jihoon gives him a look, squints at him wearily for a moment “If you set fire to any of _my_ books Scoops-I’ll set fire to your face!” he said with little heat and Seungcheol just grins at him unrelentingly and Jihoon sighs "Fine! But I’m not duet-ing with Seungkwan again!

……………………………………………………………

"You and Cheol-Hyung, seem close" Jeonghan says as they walk towards the Social-Sciences building, his voice deceptively casual and sweet.

“Close! That’s an understatement” Seungkwan says, linking arms with him as they walked. “He is built like a shit-brick house though, I guess he’s the one who picked up your stuff at the dorm” he asks nudging Jihoon.

“Yeah” Jihoon confirmed.

“So where did you sleep exactly when you were being held hostage at the frat?” Jeonghan asked.

Jihoon rolled his eyes at the new line of questioning, these guys were relentless indeed “Are you guys _ever_ planning on apologizing for not believing my story and laughing at me?”

“Sure….. _ **we’re sorry!**_ Now tell us more about _‘Cheol-Hyung’_ Jihoonie _”_ Seungkwan teased, trying to mimic Jihoon’s voice.

"You are such a pain in the ass…look…He’s a nice guy, despite the kidnapping, I guess we have some stuff in common too” Jihoon says, and it's true.

It's just that there's more to it. Like, he’s sexy but sweet too and I’ve had erotic dreams about him and I can’t shake this feeling of complete joy when I’m around him he makes me smile from the inside out, but those aren’t things he’s likely to share with his friends right now.

The mark on his shoulder throbs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love possessive Seungcheol :D


	7. Karaoke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Boring lectures, Karaoke and more biting.

Seungcheol eyed the clock for what felt like the billionth time that afternoon, narrowing his eyes and willing the hour hand to **move** , just wishing for his lecture to be done and over with so that he could escape the torment of the day.

He was sprawled in his seat, taking up more space than was necessary, legs spread wide, chewing on a pen in his mouth, with so much disregard for the students seated next to him that he was successfully annoying on so many levels. He’d arrived 10 minutes late for his lecture and had no choice but to sit in the only vacant seat near the front by the professor, then proceeded to have the discourtesy to yawn repeatedly and check the clock every few minutes since arriving. It would have been wiser _not_ to show up in the first place-the professor thought as much as he eyed him with displeasure each time he fidgeted or released a jaw cracking yawn. But he needed this lecture as a distraction-if he wasn’t _here_ checking the clock every five minutes, he’d be at _home_ , checking the clock every five minutes- and thinking about Jihoon.

He sighed loudly, drooping his head and slumping further into the seat.

Fantasizing about Jihoon takes up an inordinate amount of Seungcheol's time. Time he should be using to focus on the start of term assignment’s that are already starting to pile up. With the time he's spent daydreaming about him, he probably could have covered the syllabus- _twice_.

Seungcheol had never before experienced such a momentous, all encompassing, _tortuous_ crush as the one he currently had on Jihoon and he would have laughed, had it been any of his friends in this situation. But no _, it was him_ , he was the one with a gut-wrenching desire for a boy he’d only spent a handful of days with.

He had prided himself at remaining relatively level headed in his first two years at college, aside from a few one night stands and alcohol fueled trysts at parties- he had surfed by without getting attached or tied down by anyone. So it was all the more _humiliating_ how much he was suddenly desperate to have somebody in his life. But not just _anybody_ \- Jihoon was _different_ , and his casual attraction was a bit more like insanity now.

It was crazy how much he looked forward to seeing the other boy, enjoying the tug and pull exchanges they shared, catching glimpses of him around campus or more frequently as of late-having full blown wet dreams starring him. Especially since that kiss- _that kiss_ -if only Henry hadn’t been there to ruin the moment and practically cock-block him.

_That taxidermy-motherfucker._

He couldn’t be sure things would have escalated to anything more physical that day but now he would never know, that moment was gone.

_There will be other moments though._

Like tonight for instance, at the mixer, there was bound to be a moment he could isolate Jihoon for a while and they could start where they left off.

He was beginning to feel a tad less guilty at his rampant pursue of the younger boy. He’d thought about fucking Jihoon more than he should, orchestrated a random game of hide-n-seek just to get that little bit closer into his pants; he remembered the way Jihoon trembled underneath him when he pinned him down, how he almost couldn’t keep it together and then how dazed and suddenly frightened Jihoon had seemed before DK interrupted them. Jihoon appeared to be reluctant, less than tractable then- and Seungcheol though maybe his desire wasn’t reciprocated after all. But then Jihoon initiated the kiss…. _ah the kiss_ \- even If Seungcheol had been pushing for it the entire day, pushing at the boundaries of acceptable invasion of personal space-Jihoon _had_ kissed him first. Jihoon had pulled him down and sealed their lips.

Jihoon wanted him too.

To what degree he wanted him? He would have to wait and find out tonight.

Seungcheol’s transported out of his thoughts by the click of a finger hovering inches from his face. “For somebody who arrived late to class-couldn’t take his eyes off the clock and obviously doesn’t want to be here-why _are_ you still here Mr Choi?” the professor asked him.

Seungcheol spared a glance around the room, realizing the lecture hall had completely vacated. How had he missed an entire class filtering out in front of him?

“Uhhhhh” he said less than eloquently.

The professor sighed “You’re obviously very distracted at the moment son, it’s not a good position to be in for your third year- at the start of the year no less”

“Uhh..yeah, I’m sorry sir……..I’m just struggling to stay focused at the moment…I’ve got a lot on my mind” Seungcheol admitted awkwardly, packing the note pad; he hadn’t made a single squiggle on- back into his bag.

“Yes, that’s obvious. I’ve seen this all before, ….you probably need to get laid” He said inappropriately.

Seungcheol grinned at the suggestion, the truth resonating in him. “Ha, you’re probably right sir….can you write that down as a course requirement, it might give me a better shot at getting it done!”

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out somehow Mr Choi” The older man said, organizing his papers for the next scheduled lecture and waving him off.

Seungcheol whistled absentmindedly as he left the building, checking his wrist watch once more and promising himself **not** to check it again.

_5 more hours to go._

……………………………………………………………………..

 

“Welcome to Sigma-Chi-Tau’s Karaoke mixer!” Vernon greets as he swings the door open for a round of guests huddling at the door. “Come in-come in! Dump your coats in the back room, help yourself to drinks in the kitchen; toilets on the ground floor just down the corridor and the bedroom’s are 'strictly prohibited' -unless you actually live here or you haven’t seen any action in 6 months!”

“So that’s basically all four of us!” Seungkwan says ruefully, as he walks through the door ahead of the others, pulling his coat off.

“Speak for yourself….It’s only been 5 months for me!” Jeonghan chirped in.

 “Really? _Six months?_ Why? Where have you been hiding?” Vernon teases lightly, offering to take Seungkwan’s coat for him.

 “In the wrong Karaoke bar obviously….look at this place…it’s a palace! **Wow!** Look, _this_ is why you were so happy to stay in captivity Jihoon, you were living like a kept man here!” Seungkwan said, spinning as he absorbed his surroundings in wonder.

“Uhm…this is just the entry way….the lounge is through there” Vernon explained, gesturing down the hallway.

“ **WOW!”** Seungkwan repeated impossibly louder as he burst into the living area.

“He needs a leash” Joshua said, turning to the others who nodded in agreement.

Jihoon pushed ahead, past them into the room which was full beyond the health and safety standards of the College’s fraternity house party’s guidelines. He waves over at DK and Hoshi seated comfortably at the couch and side steps a group of bickering sorority girls before he’s the victim of a stampede. Somebody grabs his elbow and he turns to see Mingyu standing to his side, a fearful expression on his face.

“As expected, somebody got too lackadaisical with the guest list again” Mingyu commented on the crowded room.

“Was it you Mingyu?” Jihoon asked sympathetically.

“Hm….maybe?” he admitted “But.. I’m glad I invited _you_ Jihoonie, because Seungcheol-Hyung has really  been getting on my nerves lately. Since you left, all he does is moan about you and set fire to things!” he alleged seriously. “Just earlier, some girl cornered him about hosting a sorority mixer and I saw him eyeing a box of matches! Can you imagine a place like this in flames…..go..go Jihoon…go find him and _please_ do what you can to avert a disaster!” Mingyu begged, ushering him back into the crowds.

Jihoon laughed at Mingyu’s exasperation, nudging through the crowd into a partially filled area of the room. He eyes Wonwoo leaning against a wall, drink in his hand as he converses with a partygoer-the older boy waves to him then places his hands together in a gesture of prayer before pointing to the corner of the room. Jihoon follows his line of vision and catches sight of Seungcheol, slumped against the wall on the far side, circled by a group of girls pretty enough to make any guy deathly jealous of him- if they hadn’t all been talking to him **at the same time**.

Jihoon smirks at the utter look of scorn on his face, he looks like he wants to die **or** set fire to something as Mingyu had said. He’s contemplating leaving Seungcheol to wallow in his misery for a moment longer but the older boy’s head snaps up at the sight of him and he practically shoves the crowd of girls aside making a bee-line straight for Jihoon.

When Seungcheol hugs him, Jihoon goes stiff, noting that he didn’t hug anybody else when they came in -but the familiarity of Seungcheol has him pliant and melting into the embrace. When Seungcheol pulls back, Jihoon gives him his best poker face before saying “I’m gonna need to borrow your laptop to study Cheol, I didn’t want to cart mine all the way here in case you set fire to it or something!”

“Yeah, no problem little knife, don’t you wanna drink first though?” Seungcheol asks, pulling him towards the kitchen, through the hordes of revelers. Feeling enamored with the attention he was receiving from the host, Jihoon accepted the offer and allowed Seungcheol to guide him to the more secluded location of the kitchen.

“Fine, I suppose I can have _one_ drink…but then It’s straight back to studying” Jihoon said, making some effort at acting like a gracious guest, but not entirely sure he is succeeding.

Seungcheol poured him a drink from the punch bowl in the kitchen and handed it to him before taking his hand again and guiding him to another secluded spot in the corner. He leans in to whisper something to him but Jihoon indicates that he can’t hear a damn thing over the sound of the Karaoke station.

“I’m so glad you came…..it’s been pretty boring without you!” Seungcheol shouts over the music. “Nobody had threatened me with bodily harm, or insulted me, or stolen the last ice-cream”

“Yeah I can see that …cause you’re getting soft and fat!” Jihoon shouted back making sure a smile was plastered on his face to match the falsity of his insult.

“Heyyy, it’s only been a few days, I weighed myself this morning!” Seungcheol said, matching Jihoon’s smile.

“You’re right, it _has_ only been a few days, and you’ve really let yourself go…..that’s disconcerting. You need help hyung!” Jihoon replied.

Although it was entirely unnecessary because they were shouting, Seungcheol chose to lean in further into his space “Yeah, you’re right. I do! Maybe you should keep tabs on me. Help me out with some regular insults ya know…be in my space more often, keep me grounded, _motivated_ ”

“….I can do that” Jihoon said, cheeks burning a little as he smiled “ _You son of a bitch_!”

Seungcheol threw his head back and laughed “That’s perfect! Yeah, just like that….what else you got?”

Jihoon took a sip of his drink, licked his lips before saying “Your muscles…. _are average!”_

Seungcheol gripped his chest animatedly “Fuck that hurts….this shit’s getting personal now….ok what else!?”

“You…. _Smell?_ ” Jihoon spat after a moment of thought.

“You’re killing me! But keep going I feel a surge of motivation coursing through my veins!” Seungcheol laughed.

Hoshi appeared next to them, shirt stained with the remnants of a wayward drink “Why are you guys shouting insults at each other?”

They both broke into laughter at his confusion and waved him off. Seungcheol leans in again, closer this time, eclipsing him and whispers in his ear. The volume of the music has dropped low enough for Jihoon to hear him clearly “I missed you” he says voice wavering dangerously with emotion, then he lifted his head to look back at the younger boy. He wouldn’t tear his eyes away from Jihoon’s, he stared straight into them until Jihoon truly had no idea what he was seeing in them. Jihoon blushed under the scrutiny afraid to say anything in case his voice betrayed the tightness coiling in his belly.

“Oh my god, Jihoon! This place is **amazing** …have you seen the loft?” Seungkwan interrupted them unexpectedly “If you’re going to rush for this fraternity you better do it soon cause I am next in line!” He yelled.

“Oh yeah….that reminds me..” Seungcheol said “Wait here,  I just need to get something from Wonwoo, I’ll be back!” he assured, slipping off in the direction he had seen Wonwoo last.

When he leaves, Jihoon tugs Seungkwan’s sleeve. When he leans in, he shouts “I don’t think I’m drunk but ….am I drunk right now, do you think somebody spiked the punch bowl?” Which earns him a baffled look and a shrug from his friend. He wanted to know that the heat in his body was normal and he was responding so willingly to Seungcheol’s admission -naturally and not because of some alcohol induced deliria.

“Hey-!” Seungcheol said returning, a rubber stamp in his hand.

“What’s that?” Jihoon asked.

“It’s the fraternity stamp, we use it to mark our Pledger’s so others know what Fraternity they are rushing for!” he explained, before grinning impishly and quickly gliding his hand to stamp the side of Jihoon’s face.

"Asshole!……Cheol! You _dick!_ ……how am I going to hide that…” Jihoon huffed, eye brows knitting as he rubbed on the ink stain on his cheek, the small indentations of the stamp rubber leaving an imprint of pressure against his skin where the ink seeped in. The initial surprise gave way to niggling irritation of being branded on a very visible location and he was about to slap the older boy in retaliation -but then he turned to look at him and faltered. Seungcheol was beaming, eyes upturned and warm and off course … _dimples_ \- even through his annoyance Jihoon had to stop short at how delightful he was.

Seungcheol pulled back, just far enough to shake his head. "Don’t want you to hide it….want everyone to see my mark on you" he said, hand moving to slip around the smaller boys waist “Everyone should know who you belong to……Sigma-Chi-Tau” He said after a pause, letting the first part of the sentence sink in and resound with him first.

“Idiot” Jihoon said fondly.

“Holy shit… _Jihoon_ did you see the stage they have set up here? This isn’t some amateur production they’ve set up….it’s like a live Karaoke bar in here” Seungkwan bounced happily, gesturing to the stage that was erected in the large living space of the house.

“That’s great news Boo, I’m happy for you…..but I’m not singing with you again!” Jihoon said.

“What! C’mon Jihoonie….just _one_ song…you can pick it this time!” Seungkwan said, not deflating in the slightest at his friend’s reluctance to participate.

“Sorry, Seungkwan, But Jihoon has to study so he’s just got time for one duet with me before he heads upstairs!” Seungcheol explained, ignoring the look of contempt Jihoon shot in his direction.

“Oh _really_? We’re going to sing together are we?” Jihoon asked, raising one eyebrow.

“Yeah….it’s gonna be beautiful” He teased.

Jihoon switched to an entirely different frown "Cheol-" he said, tone rising like the start of a question.

“I’ve got the perfect song for us to sing lined up….just… give it a chance” Seungcheol said pointing at the screen illuminating the room. The title of a song, the artists name and number of players drifted up on the screen as Jihoon spoke.

"What…what are we even going to sing… _Good Morning?_ But it’s night time….uhh…I suck at rapping!" He choked on it, because Jihoon knew he ought to say no, he really should work on his assignment first before commencing with the fun, but an excited glance from the older boy and a dimply smile made Jihoon’s his eyelids sag in defeat and he let Seungcheol drag him across the room and haul him up the Karaoke stage set in front of the fire place.

“Can you believe that?” Seungkwan gasped flopping down on the couch next to Joshua “I Seungkwan, one of Jihoon’s oldest most talented and cherished friends ask him to duet and… **No**. He tells me to beat it. _This guy_ he’s known for like… _a week_ throws in the puppy eyes and dimples look and he’s up on stage in under a minute!”

“Hey, if you want to duet so bad I can sing with you….I’m probably not as good as you are but I can give it a try?” Vernon asked from his spot on the couch.

“Uhmm…really…ok, that’s sweet of you” Seungkwan blushed, fanning his face.

The remaining boys sitting around the table exchanged glances before DK and Jeonghan started reciting “ohhhhhh Vernon and Seungkwan sitting in a tree….K-I-S-S-I-N-G!”

“Seriously? _Seriously_ you guys, what are we twelve? Cheol-Hyung has been eye fucking Jihoon since he arrived and they just walked off hand in hand and you’re picking on us?” Vernon said, hands raised in disbelief.

…………………………………………………….

As with the start of any song he’s about to sing, Jihoon feels a pang of nervousness shift through him. He’s shy by nature, one of his own shortcomings and is a perfectionist down to a T, another point on a long list of issues that can derail a successful duet. But he _knows_ he can sing well and better than most…better than that even. He’s pretty good if you consider Seungkwan’s waxing lyrical about his talent as an endorsement. Harmonizing with someone on the other hand is not easy, you have to match their pace, enthusiasm-when you sing with someone you have to move smoothly through the song together yet bounce off each other on the right notes. He’s found it increasingly frustrating with Seungkwan who belts out every lyric like he’s Whitney fucking Houston and he suspects it won’t be possible with Seungcheol either.

When he’s nearly finished the introductory verse of “Good Morning” he turns to Seungcheol, to find the older boy watching with him captivated attention, a smile spreading on his face when they lock eyes. He’s watching him _so_ intently that he think’s Seungcheol’s about to miss his entry verse but his expression suddenly shifts to competitive and he slips into the song so effortlessly with some serious fucking _swag_. Jihoon is so taken aback he nearly misses his own vocal contribution to the rap verse. Whatever notions of duality he had about a duet with Seungcheol fly out the window as they move fluid and beautiful into the chorus, he relaxes enough to enjoy the song and a strange warmth seeps through him when Seungcheol pulls him close to the center of the stage to partake in a shoulder shimmy which Jihoon mirrors perfectly in rhythm that soon they have the whole room singing along with them and clapping enthusiastically.

…………………………………………………………………..

They had been in Seungcheol’s room for a little over an hour and Jihoon had to shake the computer mouse _at least_ 20 times to keep the screen loaded. Seungcheol was an absolute pain in the ass when he was trying to be productive. Having tickled him mercilessly the moment they got through the door just to hear Jihoon admit he was _somewhat_ impressed by his vocal contribution to their duet. He then proceeded to pen a new song just for Jihoon the topic of which “Spoons and Knives Forever” had the smaller boy rolling on the floor in uncontained laughter.

“I really need to focus on my research now so you can be quiet and useful and stay -or be yourself and leave” Jihoon snapped, returning to the borrowed desk and hunching over Seungcheol’s laptop, fiddling the mouse vigorously to re-ignite the screen.

“Hey I can be useful and be myself too…..I _am_ doing a minor in music little knife, I think I can help you with a simple first year music research assignment!”  Seungcheol huffed “Besides, I did just floor you with my super amazing rapping skillz so….I think I’m more than qualified to help”

"Don’t fucking flatter yourself," Jihoon says scathingly "It’s not my fault you chose to misinterpret my words into a compliment because of your own spectacularly high opinion of your rapping abilities" he added. Seungcheol just chuckles from his position on the bed behind him, moving forward to rest his chin over the back of the chair on Jihoon’s shoulder, a hand settling inches away from the bite mark he left there last week.

Jihoon twists his head and places his hand over Seungcheol’s where his hand is resting-fingers twitching on his shoulder “You fucking hurt me with that bite the other day” It just tumbles out of him, simple as that. When it comes to Seungcheol they know each other now more than peripherally and he can say more without being hesitant, nothing seems too strange to share.

Seungcheol raised his head at the sudden turn in conversation, mouth straight but eyes mischievous.   He answers like he was never expecting to discuss the biting incident again “I’m…..ah……I’m…. **not** sorry” He answers briskly.

“You’re **NOT** sorry?” Jihoon asks sharply and Seungcheol nods “You’re **not** sorry that you bit me **so** hard you broke skin and bruised me up bad?” Jihoon added, really laying on the guilt-trip.

 “No…..I’m _not_ sorry. I’m _not_ apologizing. I’m happy I did it…and I’ll probably do it again….”Seungcheol affirms, fingers still twitching slightly on Jihoon’s shoulders, gaze focused on Jihoon’s neck.

“Why did you do it?” Jihoon asks, stunned.

Seungcheol responded with an listless shrug of his shoulders “Felt good….wanted to…” Jihoon is certain there is more to it but he’s not in the position to pry for more information yet.

The truth is- Seungcheol gets a strange sort of satisfaction from this, from knowing that Jihoon is carrying his teeth marks on him, he’s staked a claim on the younger boy and it’s evident for everyone to see.

“Well….it really fucking hurt… _still_ hurts by the way” Jihoon said, turning back to the laptop.

“Can I see it?” Seungcheol asks, hand slipping around to cup the front of Jihoon’s shoulder, thumb grazing the area he estimates the bite to be under the material of his shirt. Jihoon’s in two minds, one to shrug his hand away and the other to let him see the injury he caused-he goes for the latter option and nods solemnly, reaching to unbutton his shirt and pulling the material taut over one shoulder to display his battle scar.

With the shoulder exposed Seungcheol marvels at the deep purple, blue and green hues of the skin surrounding the bite, a warmth of blood so close to the surface of the skin pooled around each tooth depression giving the entire bite a complexity of color and denseness. It looks so painful it almost appears fake.

As if on command, Seungcheol slips a hand across Jihoon’s shoulder, letting his thumb skim over the indent of his bite mark. Jihoon tips his head to the side instinctively, giving him more access to his skin and feeling the pad of Seungcheol’s thumb rub across the bruised area. His fingers gripped possessively on his collar as he leaned down to press a tender kiss to the damaged skin once-before suctioning his lips around the bite and suckling on it.

“Guhhh….hmmm” Jihoon’s moan reverberates in his throat at the gesture, hands scrambling for purchase on the arm rest of his seat as a sudden hit of pain merged pleasure soaked his senses.

“ _Fuck_ ….ch…cheol what are you doing?” He gasped, head knocking against the older boys as he attempted to turn. Seungcheol gripped his shoulders in place, nudging Jihoon’s head back and renewed his efforts in sucking on the mark, tongue now joining the mission in teasing the wound.

“ _Ahhha…ahhhh…..fuck…..”_ Jihoon curved his back off the chair as the tip of Seungcheol’s tongue dipped into the grooves left behind when his canines pierced the flesh. Seungcheol released the abused flesh with a resounding wet pop, then pulled Jihoon off the chair and back towards him, firmly seating him on his lap. Hands returning to clasp at the slighter boy’s shoulders and head dipping into the crook of his neck, nipping softly at a new expanse of untainted skin along his collar, humming appreciatively as he imbibed another area of skin into his mouth and worried it with tongue and teeth.

 Jihoon was panting heavily now, writhing in his lap, hands clenched on Seungcheol’s knee’s bracketing him in to his lap. “Shit…. ** _fuck_** …ahh… ** _cheol._**.ssshhh”

Seungcheol likes this. He likes being able to elicit a reaction from Jihoon, a gasp a shudder, a whimper from each kiss, lick or bite he delivers.  He’s cataloguing all of Jihoon’s delicious reactions to his touch that he observes, filing them away for reference under the heading _‘Things that make Jihoon go ahhh’_. He loved how responsive Jihoon is. And boy was he a vocal marvel.

Jihoon responded to Seungcheol’s bites with keening moans and kisses with shudders and each time the older boy traced the tip of his tongue along the groove of the bite imprint- Jihoon whined low in his throat as the sensation shot straight to his cock. He was getting off on having his injury teased and tormented by the one who inflicted it.

Seungcheol sucked on the cord in his neck as he unfastened the next few buttons on his shirt with impressive speed. Jihoon gripped on his muscular forearm and made a noise that Seungcheol cautiously interpreted as half amused and half aroused, but before Jihoon could protest about his rapid state of undress -Seungcheol had pulled his shirt down low over one shoulder, thumbed one sensitive nipple and fitted his lips over Jihoon's with such lush softness that Jihoon had no argument left in him at all.

" _Hmmfffff_ " he muffled into the other’s mouth instead, reverently and unsteadily before parting for breath. "Uhgg _Cheol_ …..ss..tt ..uhhh” Jihoon gritted out as Seungcheol ground his crotch against his ass with a languorous roll of his hips. Seungcheol angled his head so he could study the other boy’s face, the occasional glimpse of tongue darting out to lick his lips, his eyes shut, lashes smudging against flushed cheeks.

"Jesus _, Cheol!_ " Seungcheol’s breath was warm and his lips were insistent distracting him momentarily but Jihoon looked down to see Seungcheol’s warm hand cradling his cock through the thick black material of his jeans.

He kissed the hollow space at the base of Jihoon’s throat, drawing the edges of his teeth up the smaller boy’s jugular, then pressed his tongue flat against a prominent vein that lay close to the surface, tasting the prevailing sweetness on his skin and feeling Jihoon’s blood pulse with his tongue. He worshiped the delicate skin on his neck with gentle nips and sucks, feeling the vibration of Jihoon’s moans through the delicate column of his throat.

" _Fuck_ Jihoonie, the noises you are making…so fucking hot…how long has it been for you? You shouldn't deprive yourself like this baby. It not healthy, let me take care of you" Seungcheol growled lowly in his ear while he delicately scraped Jihoon’s neck with his teeth, groaning heatedly and rubbing his stiffened shaft against the back of Jihoon’s upper thigh.

Jihoon gets hit with something like hysteria, a few shades short of panic. He’s never done anything remotely sexual with a guy and barely had some experience with girls- this is all so expectedly unexpected he’s not sure how he can explain his sex life- _or lack there-of_ -to the older boy without abrupt humiliation. His fear is intensified tenfold when Seungcheol uses his knees to shove his legs apart, spreading him open further in his lap, forcing him to grip on the muscled forearm slung across his chest to maintain some balance.

“Cheol….. _please_ …..ah….. _sssstop_ …ahhh” he gasps, another moan escapes despite his rising panic as Seungcheol sucks hotly on the soft skin over his collarbone.

“You don’t _really_ want me to stop do you baby?” He coos, nipping at Jihoon’s earlobe, his hand palming the bulge in the younger boy’s jeans through the thick fabric.

"You’re so responsive baby, I love it….are you gonna come off just from this?" Seungcheol panted into his ear, one arm still wrapped around his chest, fingers skillfully twisting a nipple as he rolled his hips up against Jihoon’s ass. His other hand brushing deftly over his clothed erection with the most tortuous lack of friction. “I can give you so much more baby if you let me…. _I can make you scream_ ” he groaned, sinking his head down into the groove of his neck again to torture the marked skin he found there.

“Ahhh… _cheol_ ….ah _fuck_ …ah…. _please_.” Jihoon whimpered at the assault.

“Whatever you need baby…. _tell me_ ” Seungcheol murmured, sucking wet bruises on every inch of skin in reach, doing his best to grind a climax out of him with brutally precise rolls of his hips.

"Oh, god, Cheol….ah.., _Cheol-ah,_ fuck, hmmm -" but Jihoon's voice was tight with something that sounded like distress or panic. Seungcheol craned his head and found Jihoon's eyes squeezed tightly shut, the corners wet with tears. "Cheol- Oh, god, _don't…please._ "

"Shit baby….I thought you wanted this….you don’t want me?" he whispered. Jihoon caught the hand Seungcheol reached for his face to wipe away the tear threatening to spill out of the corners of his eye.

“ _Hyung_ , I do….I’ve just… never done anything like this before…Cheol.…. _I’m a virgin_ ” Jihoon gasped out, body trembling with the effort of staying coherent and not collapsing into a wanton mess at the intense sensations coursing through him.

“What?”

The change in the room is subtle, but it's there. Jihoon can feel it when Seungcheol’s breathing pattern falters just slightly, less leisurely than before. And just like that, all his movements halt. Seungcheol recoiled his arm from around Jihoon’s chest and he scrambles out of the older boys lap, meeting no resistance this time and spun around to face him. 

He can see the way Seungcheol’s face has changed-jaw tense, eyes stony and brows creased as he thinks carefully. It wasn't anger; it was a mix of fear and _hunger_ , another emotion difficult to interpret but his breath caught in his throat- spiky and dense. “I’m not a _virgin-virgin_ ….just a ..butt virgin ya know…I’ve never done anything with a guy”

Seungcheol blinks a few times and shakes his head, when he looks at Jihoon again his eyes are creasing with amusement at his confession, lips upturning into a smirk.

It's a bit too uncomfortable, too personal, he’s never been very good with eye contact generally and even worse naturally when he was embarrassed-so decides to look down at his hands instead as he speaks. “Don’t laugh at me Seungcheol…I’m not some built husky hot athlete with looks to die for- I’m not like you- I haven’t had the same opportunities to _experiment_ ” He said. “I haven’t even been with many girls either if you must know-not for lack of trying-I guess I just don’t come across as suitable boyfriend material” he snapped.

From the corner of his eye’s he can see Seungcheol stiffen and then resume a slumped posture “Oh my god, you’re right…you’re just a gorgeous guy with the sweetest ass, the softest lips and the sharpest personality…who the hell wants a boyfriend like that! You should definitely find a hole to crawl into and live in solitary confinement for the rest of your life” Seungcheol recites contemptuously.

“Get over yourself Jihoon- I don’t care if you’ve haven’t been with lots of girls. You scared the shit outta me! I thought you were saying that you are a _virgin-virgin_...and that just winded me a little, made me feel really guilty”

“Guilty?” Jihoon asked finally lifting his gaze.

“Yeah…I mean, I’ve practically forced myself on to you…. _more than once_. Then you said you were a virgin and I freaked cause…if the whole concept of sex was new to you- I wouldn’t have been so _forward_ and … _relentless_. I would have taken it slow for you…..I was _trying_ to make you feel good”

Jihoon thinks that Seungcheol just likes to fuck with him, as if it's hobby to play with his emotions as much as he can. He feels rattled and insecure, like he’s never felt before. “I …it _does_ feel good…It just happened so fast and I got nervous….I know .. _sorta know_ …what I’m doing _now_ but when things progress I have no….no experience to work off” Jihoon admitted shyly.

Seungcheol stood up off the bed and took Jihoon’s hands in his own “Yeah…but..sometimes that’s when it’s the _most_ fun, when you don’t know what you’re doing and can’t plan ahead. When you can’t over analyze everything…..do you think I know what I’m doing when I’m with you? Do you think I’ve been with other guys? _Cause I haven’t_ ”

“Really? You’ve never….done stuff with guys?” Jihoon asked

Seungcheol smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head anxiously “No, I’ve just had girlfriends,  that’s it… but I mean how _hard_ can it be? It’s not exactly rocket science. Dick + Hole = Fun Times seems like the main equation we will be using. But everything I’m doing…I’m pretty much winging it with you. Do you think I spoon with DK or Wonwoo? _Hell_ no. I wouldn’t let them share my bed- they can sleep on the fucking window ledge for all I care. Everything I’ve done with you…everything I want to keep doing with you is because….it feels good, cause you feel right”

“Seungcheol….I’m not a girl.” Jihoon said flatly. “I can’t be a girl for you”

“I know that, and I don’t want you to be” Seungcheol said, smile returning to his flushed face.

“I have a dick you know….it’s not huge but it’s pretty unmissable once my pants are off” Jihoon said pointedly.

“Yes Jihoon, I _know_ ” Seungcheol said assuredly, hands moving to cup the younger’s face “ I had my hand on it five minutes ago…I was hoping to introduce myself properly to it but then we stopped”

“I’m not gonna act all sweet and fluffy and wear dresses-that’s not going to fucking happen-like **ever** ”

“What really? Not even on Halloween? Cause I have the sweetest spare Sailor Moon outfit that doesn’t fit and I was thinking you would _totally_ rock it” Seungcheol said.

The crimson on Jihoon’s cheeks deepened “I’m just letting you know…..my dick is real…it’s not going to _suddenly_ turn into a vagina and I’m not going to tuck it in between my legs and pretend it’s not there. My dick is here to stay and It’s going to want to parlay if what we’re doing progresses any further” Jihoon pointed out, flushing suddenly at his surprising forwardness.

“You know…I was just telling my own dick- _Cheol Jnr by the way_ \- about your dick in the shower the other day and it got so excited about meeting your dick that it threw up all over the place!” Seungcheol joked pulling the smaller boy closer against his body as Jihoon batted his chest in bemusement.

“You’re disgusting Cheol!” Jihoon said fondly, face flushing at the image those words painted.

Seungcheol grinned, slipping his arms around Jihoon’s waist and interlocking his hands, surrounding the other boy “Are you telling me you don’t have little chats with Jihoon Jnr? That you haven’t once played tug-of-war?” Seungcheol asked wryly.

“I’m not a Saintly fucking prude Cheol….off course I do…I just don’t _….don’t talk about it_ , it’s a little explicit” He said shamefacedly.

“Ohh….well…we need to fix that don’t we” Seungcheol hummed, hand reaching up to tuck a stray lock of hair behind Jihoon’s ear before dipping his head to whisper hotly in his ear “I bet you’re so fucking hot when you touch yourself Jihoonie, I can just imagine it so clearly… _hmmm..yeah_.….you lying in bed … _probably under the covers cause you’re so shy_ …and the lights have to be off too I guess cause you’re a teeny weeny bit prudish….but **man** … you’re so sexy with your pretty cock in your hand, pulling yourself” Seungcheol said teasingly, tongue darting out to trace the shell before plunging in as Jihoon’s breath shuddered out of control.

This has easily been the most humiliating admission of Jihoon’s life. But with Seungcheol’s tongue in his ear- the noise of pleasure he releases is more than a little involuntary and he can’t bring himself to care. “Uhh… _cheol_ …he..shh….shut up”

“Noo……think I’ll keep talking actually _….hmm….._ did you touch yourself when you were sleeping in my bed Jihoonie?” Seungcheol murmured against his cheek.

“No!” Jihoon shook his head.

“No?…. _what a shame_ …..I would have loved to see that….bet you _thought_ about it though….bet you _wanted_ to. Tell me who stopped you and I’ll break their fucking fingers!” Seungcheol said, returning to nip at the flesh of his earlobe. “That would have been such a nice gift for me….seeing you cum all over my sheets, _so pretty_ ”

Jihoon tilted his head, head fuzzy with arousal “Ahh.. _cheol_....stop talking….you’re making me…. _hmmm_ ”

“See how you affect me baby? You turn me on **so** much I’m getting extra hard just thinking about you- _thinking_ about jerking off in my bed a week ago” Seungcheol mused.

Seungcheol presses in, starts to kiss his jaw, and then Jihoon hand rubs up Seungcheol’s shoulder to wrap around the back of his neck, pushing his head down a little so he can have better reach. Seungcheol kisses him hard and he is thrilled when Jihoon pushes back against him, wanting-backs him up until the back of his knees hit the bed and they tumble on the soft mattress.

They manage a sensuous make-out session that lasts roughly 5 minutes before Seungcheol returns to doing what he enjoys the most-making out with Jihoon’s shoulder _obviously_. He’s busy outlining his left shoulder blade with kisses, when bites down suddenly.

"Ahh… _stop_ …no more biting Cheol-I’m not food for you to eat….I hate wearing polar-necks" Jihoon chided softly.

"Aww..but you taste so good baby--" Seungcheol's breath was wild and fast against his neck. " Let me just have a little taste….I promise to be gentle"

Jihoon let his head loll back onto the bed. "Hmmm.. kay" he agreed. "Not hard though…I’m sore"

"Ahhh…. _fuck_!" Jihoon said through his teeth. "Fuck, that is so …cheol…ah….sstt…ah --" and for a moment his breathing sped up out of control, fast and hard and he readied himself to be bitten again and again. He almost looked forward to the sensation now- anything would feel like pleasure with Seungcheol.

Rather than speaking, Seungcheol gives the bite mark another long suck and Jihoon can feel the spark of pleasure rush to his _toes_. " _Fuck_ ," he winces, "why does that feel so _good_?"

Seungcheol opens his mouth to reply but before he can someone; Dino it appears, starts banging on the bedroom door and demanding to use the toilet because the downstairs one has been clogged up.

Seungcheol sighs heavily, eyes narrowed with irritation “Why must _everyone_ in the world interrupt us?”

Jihoon sat up, straddling his thighs, eyes covetous “Maybe it’s a sign that we’re not meant to be together” he suggested humorously. 

“ **Don’t** even say that… **don’t** even joke about it” Seungcheol spoke, raising to rest on his elbows.

“Seriously Cheol-Hyung….let me in….I’m about to shit myself here!” Dino called out from across the locked door.

“I’m not letting you do a number two in MY bathroom…..go shit in Wonwoo’s” Seungcheol joked mirthlessly.

Dino’s desperation is evident in the whimper of frustration he makes audible even through the door “He’s locked his door……it’s just a figure of speech…I just need to piss!”

“Use a bottle then….I’m busy!”

“Have mercy Cheol-Hyung…let the boy live!” Jihoon laughed rolling off him to the side of the bed and propping his head up with one hand. “I can wait….besides he’ll never leave if we just ignore him….he might just piss himself and guess _who_ will have to clean it up” he says, gesturing at Seungcheol for emphasis.

Seungcheol groaned and heaved himself off the bed, nearly ripping the door off its hinges with the force he pulled it open and giving Dino his best glare “Dino….I hope you’re timid-ness at pissing in a bottle is worth the beat down I’m going to give you later” He threatened.

Dino ducked his head and scooted into the room, legs pressed together in awkward discomfort of holding on to his bladder functions for so long. He paused mid-step when he saw Jihoon lying on the bed, shirt collar tugged open and the red marks and bruised patches distressing his neck and collar line. “Hey Jihoon…..having fun? _Jesus-christ_ -hyung there is pizza downstairs if you’re _that_ hungry!”

“Don’t you have a piss to take!” Seungcheol snapped shoving the pledge towards the bathroom roughly. Dino complied, waddling in and pulling the door closed behind him.

“Jihoonie….we’re leaving now …you coming?” Joshua’s voice drifted up the stairs.

“Ahh… _yeah_. I better go” He said, shifting to move off the bed. “Yeah, hold on I’m coming” he shouted out.

“But whyyyyy!!” Seungcheol whined pitifully.

“Because I’m _obviously_ not going to get any work done here and I have to submit my research on Monday and….I’m punishing you for using my shoulder as a chew toy!” He spoke, buttoning up his shirt to make himself look a little less debauched.

“Don’t go _please_ , I’m dying here” Seungcheol began to beg before Jihoon silenced him, a finger on his lips.

“Looks like you’re going to have to make it up to me _again_ ….maybe we should go to that fancy shmacny restaurant like you suggested, maybe there you will get enough food so you won’t have to eat me again” He said sweetly, pulling the older boy down for a kiss. Seungcheol made a sorrowful sound in the back of his throat before licking into the kiss, so ravenous his mouth was wet with it.

“Woah! Can you guys chill a little…PG-13 please in front of the kids Hyung!” Dino teased as he exited the bathroom.

Jihoon broke the kiss to give their interrupter a glare “Get the fuck outta my room before I emasculate you!” Seungcheol warned and Dino takes the less that subtle hint, sliding quietly out of the room.

“I should go!” He says, patting Seungcheol’s chest in a more final way “But…..I gotta ask you something Hyung”

“Hmm..what?” Seungcheol puffed.

“Why…why do you have a Sailor Moon outfit spare?” Jihoon quizzed.

Seungcheol tittered in amusement “You know I wasn’t always the chapter president. I was a pledge once….I had to fulfil my own rite of passage” He explained.

Jihoon raised one hand to silence him “Say no more…..I hope there’s pictures Cheollie, I’m gonna wanna see them”

“Yeah…there is, but they’re not pretty….can you imagine these shoulders and thighs in a tiny dress?” Seungcheol offered in honesty, shaking his head to answer his own question.

“Yeah…actually I can… _hot_ comes to mind” Jihoon answered, drifting towards the door.

“I had a crown and everything….I’ll send them to you if you promise not to share them with Beta-Tau Sigma in some kinda _revenge_ mission” Seungcheol shouted after him.

Seungcheol wearing a crown, muscles bulging under a barely fitting Sailor Moon dress….yep.

_Another image for the Jerk off Catalogue._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is brought to you by  
> 1) The dream that was once smut-and will hopefully come to fruition one day  
> 2) A interesting conversation I had  
> 3) The sweetest duet ever: Seriously though, I'm sure all us Jicheol chippers have watched their amazing rendition of Good Morning-I don't even know who sung the original and I don't even care cause DAMN everytime I watch that video I am FLOORED with a miniature heart attack. They are simply-too sweet. And the shoulder shimmy-and the smile Cheol gives him after the second shoulder shimmy-WOAH! I'm pretty positive at least 50% of the view of that video belong to me!  
> I even have it set as my alarm ringtone.....now if that's not dedication to Jicheol. I don't know what it. What a great way to start your good good morning!


	8. Deadlines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deadlines!

Whoever said the first year of college was easy was most definitely a big fat fucking liar…unless they were studying something useless like….Geography.

It's pandemonium in the library on Sunday morning-thousands of students rushing to submit their first assignments of the semester on the new electronic submissions page which, typically has chosen today of all days to overload and crash the College’s servers, taking with it, the _almost_ completed, _heavily_ revised and _painstakingly_ edited version of Jihoon’s assignment.

He wanted to curl up into a ball and die on the library computer room floor- and he would of-if time wasn’t winding down to the submission deadline and if there wasn’t a queue of students hovering nearby, waiting for the opportunity to snatch an unattended console.

After re-loading the submission page and clarifying that his work was in-fact- **gone** , Jihoon allowed himself another small mental breakdown- before resigning himself to starting all over again.

"Rough night?" Seungkwan greets him sympathetically. He looked the complete opposite of how Jihoon felt- alive and well rested.

"Tell me about it…I’ve been here all weekend” Jihoon murmured, sparing him a glance and turning immediately back to his computer screen.

Undeterred by his friends lacklustre reaction to his presence, Seungkwan persists with bothering him. “Are you _still_ working on that research assignment? Joshua said he submitted his on Saturday night! And I know you’ve been working on it all last week…shouldn't you be finished by now?”

Jihoon bristled in response “ _Yes_ , that was my plan Seungkwan….. _before_ the servers crashed and _before_ all my work got wiped. Looks like everyone had the same bright idea and submitted it at the same time, so the server overloaded”

“Didn’t you keep a copy on your computer? Or a memory stick?” Seungkwan berated him.

Jihoon didn’t bother with a reply this time, he just shot his friend a disparaging look that explained what he wasn’t ready to articulate.

“Oooh…..sorry! Well….on the bright side…at least you will learn from this experience, it happened early in the year and it’s only a research assignment Jihoon-it’s not like it’s your final year project” Seungkwan offered positively, which only earned him another disapproving look from the smaller boy hunched over the computer with sunken eyes and a pallid complexion.

“You should take a break Jihoon….you look terrible!” Seungkwan suggested, pulling up a chair to the console he was occupying. The look on Seungkwan’s face when he said it is _mocking_ , even if it’s said out of concern it comes across _mocking_. Everything about that look is _mocking_ Jihoon, who feels febrile and wasted with bags under his eyes, bed head, and nothing but sneakers and sweats on.

“Thanks Boo, I feel **great** now….you’re such a positive influence on my life Seungkwan, what would I do without you!” Jihoon says sarcastically, speaking through clenched teeth as he quickly checks himself in the reflection of his phone screen.

_Yep….I look like shit_

“Yeah, you definitely need a break….you get really snarky when you haven’t slept well!” Seungkwan nods.

Jihoon hummed in reply, feeling like he had already wasted too much time and effort with the conversation that  he could be focusing on his work instead.

“Anyway, in other news….I had fun at the Sigma-Chi-Tau Karaoke mixer on Friday” Seungkwan said, a little too sweetly, he was clearly digging for something.

“Good for you” Jihoon deadpanned.

“They _seem_ like a nice group of guys” Seungkwan said.

Jihoon rolled his eyes at the extraneous use of the word _‘seem’_. “They **ARE** a nice group of guys Boo” he corrected.

“Oh yeah… but off course, you know them better than I…..what’s that? A week longer to be exact. But then again I think you know something about them you’re not quite willing to share with the rest of the class”

Jihoon let a low, expelled breath.  “I feel like you are tip-toeing over an issue here Boo, which you know _I hate_ when you do that, so why don’t you just save us both time and misery and just come out and say it!”

“Ok...Honestly Jihoon, I’m just a little surprised that you’re letting this develop so quickly….I mean you hardly know these guys and you’re making a lot of rash decisions. Are you sure…”

Jihoon raised his hand, cutting him off “Uhmm…excuse me, weren’t you the one who was salivating over their fraternity house on Friday? You basically said you would rush there and then! Now you have a problem with…”

“I’m not talking about pledging for their chapter Jihoonie!” Seungkwan interrupted “I’m talking about you......’ _bunking’_ with their chapter president! And I don’t mean just sharing his bed….” he cleared.

“Who…Who said that? What makes you think _anything’s_ going on between us?” Jihoon asked, half-heartedly.

Seungkwan took a long pointed moment to let his gaze drift over him, settling on the very obvious love bites on his neck and shoulder peeking around the edge of the collar were the jumper elastic slacked "You need to start wearing turtle necks if you’re going to try and **pretend** nothing’s going on. Because _I know_ you didn’t have all those marks on your neck when you went upstairs to his room to _‘study’_ on Friday” Seungkwan says, sounding pleasantly amused.

Jihoon spared him an irritated glance and pulled his jumper collar up tightly around his neck.

Seungkwan took his silence as acceptance “Hmm I thought so!…..So then…. _he’s a biter is he?”_ he asks, raising an incredulous eyebrow, the boy had an eye for the absurd details when it came to defining others.

“Boo, do we _need_ to talk about this now, you made your point. It’s really- _really_ early in the morning, and I’m not awake enough for this yet” He's not sure he'll _ever_ be awake enough for this, but right now he’s managing on a reduced percentage off coffee then he’s used to at this hour and he can feel the fuzzy edges of caffeine withdrawal tuning his thoughts murky.

Seungkwan shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable Jihoonie. Like I said, he _seems_ like a nice guy. I just can’t help but feel that this is a repeat of….. _the cheerleader incident”_ Seungkwan suggested, whispering the last few words, his lips pulled to the side in his classic derisive smile, as if he were the only one in the world who knew the punchline to the joke that was Jihoon’s love life.

Jihoon didn't answer for a long count of ten: choosing to let silence speak his aggravation on his behalf. He busied himself by venting his growing frustration on the computer, clicking extra harshly on the mouse and stabbing the space button with such force it became lodged in the keypad. “Shut up! Why did you have to bring that up! I’m sick of re-living this every few weeks when you get bored…. it’s not like that at all. That was different-they _used_ me……Seungcheol….he isn’t like that”

Seungkwan looked at him for a long moment as if considering the gravity of his words. "How can you be sure? How do you know he’s not? I still don’t know exactly how you guys started… whatever is going on between you" Seungkwan said reaching for his wrist, but Jihoon pulled back, turning his head aside to look away, feeling wetness in the corner of his eyes.

_I’m just tired…..these are tired tears._

Jihoon’s not sure how to answer that, he’s not sure if he has an answer and he doesn’t actually want to go through the genesis of his ‘relationship’ with Seungcheol at this point in time but he knows Seungkwan is searching for a particular type of response and he had the feeling he wasn't going to get any peace until Seungkwan was satisfied.

“I just know ok, Seungcheol is ....” He hesitated, Seungkwan’s eyes snapping at him as he turned around again more composed “He’s different okay…he’s sweet and attentive and….maybe not always gentle but I like that primal side. He’s good boyfriend material”

“But **IS HE** your boyfriend?” Seungkwan enunciates “Has he said as much? Are you guys even dating?” Seungkwan rushed.

Jihoon's breath caught in his throat at that, although he was careful to keep his face as blank and neutral as possible, his eyes spoke volumes. He’s not sure where Seungcheol fits into neat categorization of relationships. Strangely enough he never thought to leave a section marked as, burly athletes that make me smile inside and gay for the live long day.

“I………..h-he…….we….... _I don’t know_ ”

Jihoon can’t hear the smartass reply that Seungkwan probably comes up with as he leaves, patting him patronizingly slow on the shoulder, because he’s too busy crossing his arms, dropping his head on the desk and feeling completely sorry for himself.

………………………………………………

It’s surprising how fast you can work when you’re under pressure Jihoon thinks. It’s late in the evening and he’s managed to recover three quarters of his assignment in roughly 10% of the time he completed the original in. But the servers are down again, for scheduled maintenance this time and his work is saved so all he can do is wait until they are back up and running for him to continue.

His conversation with Seungkwan-or **_lecture_** if he was being frank- has been running through his head throughout the day.

He’d thought about calling Seungcheol earlier-then he’d put it off, because it sounded stupid to be so desperate as to ask for a definition from the other boy, a word to term their relationship. _‘What are we?’_ sounded so clichéd but it’s all he could think of asking then and so he delayed the call for a few hours. Now he sat idle, chewing his lower lip, thumb hovering over the call button on the contact screen. His fingers seemed to make the decision for him, padding the button reflexively and he held his breath as he waited for the connection.

The phone picked up on the fourth ring.

"Jihoonie?" came a roughened, tired voice and he couldn’t help the sense of relief he felt at hearing Seungcheol’s voice, croaky and thick with sleep.

"Cheol-Hyung…" he said warmly. "I’m sorry Hyung-Did I wake you?"

"No, no…. I’m awake." The hoarseness in his voice made Jihoon inwardly wince. He obviously _had_ been very much asleep but wasn’t going to guilt Jihoon over it now.

Jihoon swallowed thickly, hearing Seungcheol’s voice again was almost sedating to the point he forgot what he planned to ask and silence drew out over the line.

As if sensing his reluctance, Seungcheol spoke "Are... are you okay?"

“Yeah…..sorry…..I just wanted to say Hi? I guess I just needed to hear your voice…..Uh..Omo that sounds so _pathetic_ ” Jihoon said slapping a hand to his face to rouse himself, he could practically here Seungcheol smile indulgently over the phone as he said it.

“Oh _yeah_ ….you like the sound of my voice _baby_?” Seungcheol asked teasingly.

“Hmm…. _yeah_ ….” Jihoon murmured, blushing furiously and thankful that the library traffic was winding down now and nobody was around to watch him lose his senses all because of a voice over the phone.

“I had a dream... a really nice dream last night…….you were in it…I was there too _obviously_ ….if you like my voice so much…I can do all the talking and you can just…. _touch_ yourself” Seungcheol’s voice had lowered a pitch, almost a purr now.

Jihoon stifled a moan, squeezing his thighs tight together shamefully “ _Uhmmm_ , Cheol……that would be perfect….if I wasn’t in the fucking library” Jihoon huffed, clicking on the refresh button to reload the screen-the server was still down.

“What? It’s like….. 9:20…..what are you doing there so late?” Seungcheol asked, tone of arousal lost from his voice completely.

“I’ve been here all weekend practically” Jihoon said without thinking, clicking the X on the window to close the screen “I’m …..still working on this assignment” he sighed, rubbing his tired eyes.

“WHY? Haven’t you been working on it all week?” the older boy asked, concern evident in his voice.

“Hmm…Long story Short Cheol…the servers crashed-I lost my work and **no** I didn’t keep a copy on a memory stick- before you ask”

“Aww….shit Jihoonie.” He groaned considerately “When’s the deadline?”

“Tomorrow 10am” Jihoon answered.

“Fuck!.......”

“Yeah……I’m just waiting for the server to come online again. I don’t think I care anymore what grade I get as long as I submit something!” Jihoon said, leaning back in his chair.

“Where are you in the library? What floor?” Seungcheol asked him, he could hear fabric rustling on the other end of the phone.

“2nd floor, the small computer room in the corner…..wait…you’re not coming Cheol!” Jihoon snapped.

Seungcheol hesitated only a moment before fishing out his Jacket and pulling it on. “Yes I am, I’m going to rescue you! I’ll see you in ten” he said before hanging up.

“No Cheol ..don’t come!----aw fuck!” Jihoon groaned.

 

…………………………………

Miraculously he doesn't arrive to rescue Jihoon from the library in ten minutes like he had promised-instead he knocks on the door of the computer room Jihoon has holed himself up in- almost an hour after his call, arms laden with take-out boxes of food and _oh-god_ -sweet-sweet coffee.

Jihoon wasn’t expecting him to come at all! And sits speechless at his desk; he’s more likely to believe that he’d fallen asleep somehow whilst typing and has dreamt Seungcheol’s entire arrival up -had he not been so amped up on energy drinks that the possibility of sleep is so out of the question.

“Cheol-Hyung…..I can’t….you came…I can’t believe you even came here!” Jihoon’s incredulous.

“I said I would didn’t I. I’ve come to rescue you” he says, leaning on the door frame, a plastic bag dangling from his hand as he balanced the numerous boxes precariously in his arms. “I’ve brought you food…and coffee obviously….there’s only so many of those energy drink you can have before they start coloring your piss”

“Hyung- really….Thank you….I…I feel so guilty now for whining at you, I was just whining for whining’s sake, cause I felt like shit, I didn’t want to bother you really!” Jihoon says looking a little ashamed of himself although he is relieved to have the older boy there. “You didn’t have to do this….you’re gonna be so tired in the morning!”

“It’s no bother, I wanted to come. I know what it’s like……I’ve been there and it sucks…figured you could use some company” he says, pushing Jihoon’s books aside with his elbow to clear space and setting the boxes down “I don’t have class till late afternoon tomorrow anyway and game practice is in the evening so I’m good on the sleep front”

"I'm going to die, it’s only been my first week and I am exhausted…. _how_ do you have the energy to exercise and participate in college matches? I’m so tired I could skip a week of lectures" Jihoon moans, because he doesn't have to be the voice of reason and responsibility in front of Seungcheol.

"The first week is the hardest, you’re still finding your feet, you will get used to the longer hours and exhaustion becomes second nature, soon you won’t feel it. You just need to hang in there little knife" Seungcheol says soothingly, handing him his coffee.

Jihoon lets himself be coddled for a moment, allows Seungcheol to pull him away from his computer, to tuck a napkin in the top of his jumper and open his take out box for him. He still has some semblance of pride and slaps the older boys hand away when he tries to feed him directly "Yes-Thank you Cheol-Hyung, but I'm not a child, I think I can manage" he grumbled, and Seungcheol's warm chuckle seemed to reverberate through his body as he disarmed him of the chopsticks and delved into the steaming box of noodles.

_God I didn’t realize I was this hungry._

He must have been hungry because Seungcheol sits watching him strange and quiet for a long while, as he shovels food into his face at an alarming rate.

“What?....I’m not hungry……this just tastes really good…I’m so shit at cooking and you know what the cafeteria food is like” he muffles through a mouthful of noodles. It’s self-depreciating because Jihoon is very sure that he would have starved to death if Seungcheol hadn't come by to feed him. Despite his instance that he is in-fact NOT hungry-he empties two cartons of food in record time and slouches in his seat, coffee balanced on his chest as he digests.

“Where did you even find a coffee place open this time of Night Hyung?” Jihoon asks.

“Nah…there are no coffee shops open, that’s just the crap they sell out of the vending machine at the 7/11 around the corner”. Seungcheol said, dumping the empty cartons in the trash on the other end of the room. “I’ll get you proper stuff when they open in the morning” he added, because he was kind and generous to a degree that seemed infinitely deep to Jihoon.

“Uh…no you don’t have to do that Cheol-Please you’ve done enough…too much actually. Please stop making me feel so shitty about calling you and go home and sleep- I’ve got this” Jihoon pushed for a smile but it did nothing to convince the older boy. It was a touch too wide and brittle, forced for the purposes of seeming put together and alert, when in datum he was tired to the bone.

"You _know_ I’m not going to do that” he says coolly, taking off his jacket and tossing it on the table “I’m not leaving until you leave…..so I _guess_ I better make myself comfortable," Seungcheol said, settling back into the stiff chair in the next console.

“Well… I’m not going to be much company for you, I’m just going to be typing away all night” Jihoon said.

Seungcheol just shrugged, mellow and relaxed pulling his I-Pod out from his pants pocket and hooking the ears buds in. “That’s not the point, you don’t have to do anything- we don’t even have to talk anymore. Just work. I’m here if you need anything” Seungcheol said, stretching out in the chair and extending his legs, motioning to Jihoon with a nod of his head that he should commence his work again.

…………………………………….

Jihoon sat whispering, tediously reading over his work almost inaudibly and realizing that somewhere along the line he managed to repeat himself over and over again throughout the draft and even managed to contradict his own summary twice without trying. He scrapped an entire paragraph he’d just finished reviewing and the waste of time coupled with his exhaustion was frustrating him beyond belief.

 “Ughhhhhhhh” Jihoon groaned noisily, letting his head hang across the back of the chair and shielding his eyes from the fluorescent lighting on the ceiling with an arm draped across his face.

Seungcheol sat up in his chair then, snapping the earphones out “What’s up?”

“Nothing….…." Jihoon said with a smile that was overly cheerful, strained and false. "I just keep repeating myself in this paragraph…and I’m running out of time…but…. _it’s fine_ ” he tried to assure the older boy.

Seungcheol took one look at his face and winced. "Yeah…I’m not buying that." The older offered a small smile and reached across the space between them to lay a hand on Jihoon's knee, briefly “It’s because you’re tired Jihoonie”

"I _know_ that" he snaps, glancing sharply at Seungcheol, a retort on his tongue along the lines of _‘No shit-Sherlock’_ – but he froze as he caught sight of pair of dusky, soft eyes the attention of which was focused solely and completely on Jihoon.

Jihoon returns to his computer and clicks on it and tries mightily not to grind his teeth as he reads another poorly constructed sentence with perfectly passable grammar and another contradiction.

"You're very tense," Seungcheol says and one of his hands comes up to grip the nape of Jihoon's neck, stroking his fingers over the curve of skull. Seungcheol stared at him a for a moment and some distant part of Jihoon realized the other boy had probably never seen him this undone – this frustrated and useless. Jihoon had not felt this hopeless for a very long time.

“Why are you still here Cheol…..Why do you even give a shit?..... _w-hy_?" he asked, and was ashamed when his voice broke a little on the last syllable.

"Because.. I didn’t want you to be alone in the library at night…and because I want to…because you need me to" His reply was forgiving, like a man trying to quiet a feral animal. Those words slid neatly under Jihoon's mental barriers, under his control and under the layer of exhaustion coating his mind and something clenched deep inside Jihoon's chest. 

He turned away from the older boy as he spoke again “I just have to add my references, finish this last paragraph and then I’m going to submit it whether I like it or not. You don’t have to wait up” He said, attempting to deflect the topic.

“I’m not leaving. Here….let me read over it for you” He felt more than heard Seungcheol step around the back of his chair, leaning over Jihoon’s shoulder to examine his efforts. Seungcheol is a heavy, welcoming weight against his back, his chin tucked over Jihoon's shoulder as he reads his work on the computer screen.

"Ok, just remember this is a rushed job….I have a fraction of the time everyone else had and I’m working from memory from my previous draft " Jihoon says and he's surprised his voice sounds so controlled when Seungcheol's breath is ghosting against his ear, and _fuck_ , his scent- pure Seungcheoly-ness, if he just turned his head an inch he could bury his nose right into Seungcheol's neck and just breathe him in.

“You should try and get some shut-eye. It will take some time for me to read through this and you could sleep for half an hour” Seungcheol said. Jihoon shook his head but the other boy touched his jaw, turning Jihoon’s face back to his so he could easily see the worried concern in his eyes…” Trust me….it will refresh you and keep you productive…..just half an hour…I’ll wake you up”

Jihoon looked up at the clock looming beyond the computer screen on the wall “Just 30 minutes…..I’ll set an alarm on my phone” He agreed, fumbling for his cell when a heavy hand stopped his motion.

“Don’t….I’ll wake you up” Seungcheol insisted.

……………………………………………..

Seungcheol clicks the mouse to save the document and sits back in his chair. He looks over at Jihoon, upper body slumped over the desk, head nestled in his arms as he slept. Jihoon’s breathing hitched here and there, though it still maintained that enticing, attractive rhythm that it usually held in slumber.

He leaned forward, hand resting on the smaller boy’s shoulder gently, mindful to avoid the bruising there and gently shook him. A rustle of fabric could be heard from where he had pillowed Jihoon’s head under his jacket just before he drifted off and the younger released a muffled whine that made Seungcheol release one of his own in sympathy. “I’m so sorry Jihoonie” Seungcheol smiled down at him, fond yet sad at having to wake him so soon.

Jihoon became aware of his surroundings slowly: his body heavy and bent uncomfortably at the waist. He opened his eyes and was content to find he had been nosing against Seungcheol’s jacket, tucked underneath his head.

"I hate to do this to you baby…but you gotta wake up now" came a low, breathy voice right behind him. He felt Seungcheol' steadying hand cup the back of his neck, his touch feather light. Almost in a caress, or in silent appreciation.

Jihoon nodded, sighing again and forced his body into action. It was like trying to wade through a rapid river current, he felt slothful as if he was waist deep in water.

Seungcheol's fingers trailed through his hair. "Don’t be mad….but I let you sleep for an hour…cause you needed it” and Jihoon’s head snapped up with that revelation.

“I knew you would…you sneaky bitch” He retorted, earning him a small huff of laughter from the older boy.

“Yeah, I know….my bad.” Seungcheol said sheepishly, then he waved the white flag of surrender-an off-white coffee napkin “but I got you more coffee…good stuff this time and I hope you don’t mind but….I’ve made some alterations to your work, you can scrap them if you don’t like them but I think it flows better now. I’ve also added and arranged your references."

Jihoon leans up on an elbow to watch Seungcheol, who is still threading his fingers through his hair with such a gentle touch that Jihoon doesn't know what to do except to say, "I knew I was right when I told Seungkwan that you were perfect boyfriend material."

Seungcheol looks up him quickly, surprise and amusement blanketing his face "You said what?"

Jihoon blanched visibly at his slip of tongue. “Uhh…nevermind, I’m tired….just…just ignore me….it was just something I was thinking about” he said accepting the Styrofoam cup from Seungcheol and burning the roof of his mouth with the first gulp.

He had essentially verbalized a fantasy they hadn’t got around to discussing with everything that happened in the past two weeks. Maybe they were never on the path of considering a relationship as an option.

Before, he’d only known that Seungcheol wanted physical sexual relief, that’s what he’d told _himself_ that he too wanted. It was purely physical and he didn’t know any better. Now looking back on it, he ached for the ignorance again. How can Seungcheol think he can be this friendly and kind and not create something else in the midst of lust. Doesn’t he understand that you can’t make people feel this way and then settle only for physical interactions- even friendship is a nice afterthought but it’s not enough.

 

All it would take now to snuff out any hope of something more than a beautiful idea was for Seungcheol to deny the glaringly evident connection blossoming between them or explain it away as simple physical desire.

Even as his emotions outright rioted within him, there was a part of him that recognized just how vulnerable he’s allowed himself to appear. If Seungcheol was going to reject him at any stage, he would probably do it now.

And so Jihoon waited for his reaction and tries to sip his coffee evenly, but he can't deny the quiver of excitement running down his spine as Seungcheol reaches across the table, takes Jihoon's wrists in his hands, thumbs over his pulse points and says “If you think I’d spend a whole night in the library with you just so I can get in your pants someday ….I’ve got news for you Jihoon…I’m already your boyfriend”

Jihoon feels his face flushing, and he knows it's not the heat from the coffee or exhaustion catching up with him. He searches for an anchor to keep him hanging on to this sweet reality and he finds it in Seungcheol, linking their fingers together. "So... can I take you out for dinner baby?”

Jihoon closes the distance between them and kisses him. Nothing could be more perfect an answer than the sweet lingering pressure of lips against lips

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is brought to you by  
> 1) That one awesome friend who saved my ass when the very same thing happened to me at college  
> 2) People who actually study geography at college. No offence-I just heard that quote floating around one day and laughed so hard.  
> 3) The idea of Seungcheol feeding Jihoon just makes me so happy...he seems like somebody who would totally neglect his diet when he's under pressure and I have deep love for anybody who makes me food, buys me food, talks about food with me-send me pics of their food or is food.


	9. Flowers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seungkwan is interfering-Seungcheol is confused-Jihoon reflects on the past.

“Oh..Hi Seungkwan, How are you?” Vernon greets, answering the door.

Seungkwan hesitates at the entrance “Uhh….hi..a…?…”

“Vernon? My name is _Vernon_. It’s ok if you don’t remember, it’s not like we sang 4 duets together in a row last Friday night or anything….Oh wait…. yes we did!” Vernon stated in indignation.

“Oh off course, sorry Vernon! Off course I remember you…you were sweet to sing with me. Sorry I’ve just had something on my mind all week” Seungkwan apologized for his lapse of thought.

Vernon hummed woefully “Oh…..what is it?”

“Seungcheol-Hyung….is he here…I need to speak with him” Seungkwan asked excitedly.

“Oh.. for fucks sake….everyone wants Cheol-Hyung” Vernon muttered under his breath, stepping aside to let the other boy in to the house “He’s upstairs in his room, follow me” he said leading Seungkwan through the front room.

Mingyu and Wonwoo were seated in the living area as they entered “Hi Mingyu, Hi Wonwoo!” Seungkwan greeted as he past them.

“Oh..So you remember _their_ names! That’s nice….did they sing four duets with you….uhmm no!” Vernon huffed leading him up the stairs.

“Hey Cheol-Hyung….open up” Vernon yelled knocking noisily on the door “You have a visitor, he needs you…want’s to speak to you urgently”

Seungcheol pulled the door open, the smile of anticipation on his face dropping to a frown as he took in his unexpected guest. “Uhh..hi Seungkwan. What’s up?”

“Hi Seungcheol, Not much…I just was hoping to talk to you” he said turning to look at Vernon momentarily before adding “Uhm, can we speak privately?”

“Privately? Vernon asked precisely and laughed at the suggestion, turning to face them in disbelief before swallowing his mirth with a splutter and litany of curses as Seungcheol moved aside to let Seungkwan step inside the room and slammed the door shut in his face. “God-damnit!” Vernon yelled.

Seungcheol took a seat at his desk and crossed his arms as he watched Seungkwan shift anxiously from foot to foot. “I’m here because….I need to talk to you about Jihoon”

“Cool, lucky for you, that’s my favourite topic…shoot”

“Don’t take this the wrong way but…..What the fuck are you playing at!?”

“Uhhh….that’s a pretty open ended question….can you be more specific?”

“What are you playing at with Jihoon? What are your intentions with him?”

“Uhmm….I intend to be his boyfriend”

“Oh really?”

“Actually no…..I don’t intend to…..I’m already his boyfriend”

“Oh really?”

“Can you stop saying that! Yeah, I’m his boyfriend, why are you so surprised………is there a problem?”

“There might be!…. have you told Jihoon this?”

“Told him what?” Seungcheol said already exasperated with the line of questioning.

“That you are his boyfriend?” Seungkwan asks.

“Yeah…..he knows, we’ve talked about it…..when was the last time _you_ talked to him?”

“I’m the one asking questions here Seungcheol!”

“O……k”

“You need to know something Seungcheol…..Jihoon’s…….Jihoon’s a delicate flower” his summarized with a lilt of his head.

“Hahaha…oh man…don’t let him hear you say that…he’ll kill you!” Seungcheol tittered.

“Yeah, you’re right… he would…ok ….he’s a precious petal!”

“I don’t think he would like that either. I just call him baby, he seems ok with that. But you can’t call him that…….that’s just for me to use. Do you think I could get away with calling him a precious petal?” Seungcheol blurted, brain suddenly distracted with the possibilities of new nicknames for Jihoon.

Seungkwan raised a hand silencing him “My point is…..he’s _special_ ….and he’s a good friend of mine and I don’t want you to hurt him.”

Seungcheol blinked several times at the statement, lifting a hand to rub at his temples and caught Seungkwan watching him perceptively. “What makes you think I want that?!” he huffs, as though it was the most unreasonable thing he’s ever heard of.

“Because I know you…” Seungkwan said, narrowing his eyes, hands braced on his hips like a teacher about to address a delinquent.

“No….you don’t!” Seungcheol snapped back.

“Well….I know your type” he corrected.

“ _Also_ no” Seungcheol snapped “What is this about?!” Seungcheol snaps and he regrets letting his voice rise when Seungkwan stiffens and he sees raw intimidation seep out of him, only to be replaced by something much more unnerving.

"You know what I mean….Jihoon knows your type as well" Seungkwan insists, pacing up and down the room "Jihoon is younger than you…..he doesn’t have a lot of experience and what experience he _does_ have…hasn’t been pleasant. Somebody needs to look out for him!

“Ha…and I suppose that somebody is you? Is that why we are having this little chat?” Seungcheol countered defiantly but Seungkwan just looks on at him mutely, dejected and he feels like this conversation is heading south fast,

“Listen Seungkwan, the last thing I want to do. Actually..scratch that…It wouldn’t even be the _last_ thing I want to do. I never, **never** want to hurt Jihoon. You might not understand what’s going on between us, because granted… Jihoon and I haven’t known each other long but….I feel like I have known him my whole life….and I _care_ about him” he says and Seungkwan’s tone elevates as he nods in acceptance. Seungcheol feels a weird sense of accomplishment for having finally said the right thing to placate Seungkwan and stop the sermon in it’s tracks.

Seungkwan sighs resolutely before continuing “Jihoon _is_ fond of you….and I honestly didn’t think he would open up to anyone again….. I just want to make sure that what happened to him… doesn’t happen again --"

Seungcheol's brow furrows at the imposed suggestion, and then clears "Make sure _what_ doesn’t happen again?" but his question is only met with further silence, adding to his confusion.

“It’s not exactly my place to say….” Seungkwan hesitates again.

Seungcheol shakes his head and tries very hard to concentrate. It had been a long day and Seungkwan’s rambling notwithstanding, was turning his brain into mush "If you don’t tell me… how can I make sure to avoid it?"

A frown and then "Look, It’s a sensitive topic for Jihoon. He gets really upset when I bring it up or Joke about it"

“Then maybe you should stop bringing it up…and…you should definitely stop Joking about it if it upsets him…whatever it is. Can you at least give me a hint?” Seungcheol asks, raising an eyebrow at him, tone as derisive as his expression

Seungkwan just shakes his head and pats him on the arm. "When Jihoon’s ready I’m sure he will tell you himself," he says agreeably and ignores the way Seungcheol buries his face in his hands to muffle his groan of confusion.

"No, why can’t you just tell me now?" Seungcheol says vehemently.

Another frown "Because it’s not my place to say….I shouldn’t pry into other people’s relationships"

“Yet…here you are…. _prying!”_ he says pointedly.

“That’s because I’m his friend and I care about him and friends are allowed to pry when they are looking out for each other” He counters proudly.

“Do you realize how many times you’ve contradicted yourself in the last five minutes?” Seungcheol asked .

“Uh! Look…It doesn’t matter….just know…I’m watching you….like a hawk” Seungcheol quirked an brow, reading the challenging threat in Seungkwan’s gaze. He withheld a smile and opted instead to cross his arms over his chest, smirking in turn.

“Ya know what.….I’ll just ask him myself, we’re going out tomorrow night”

“Ok…. good….but don’t tell him I told you anything” he mimed locking his lips and throwing away the key for good measure.

“But you didn’t tell me anything!” Seungcheol puffed.

 _“Exactly!”_ he said, with a wink. Seungkwan pulled the bedroom door open again and jumped back a little in surprise to find Vernon still standing there, looking dejected. “I’m off….. remember what I said Seungcheol”

“Yeah ok….I’ll try…….thanks for the pep talk I guess?!”

“It’s wasn’t a pep talk Seungcheol…..it’s a warning!” He says absurdly sweet, considering the weight of those words, as he exits the room and leaves Seungcheol to roll his eyes at Vernon who gives him an unsympathetic glare in return.

Vernon catches up with him as he’s walking down the stairs. “So what was that about?” he asked conversationally,

“Hm? Oh..Nothing….I was just….. asking about the fraternity” Seungkwan lied, deflecting the topic casually.

“Oh….Are you thinking of rushing?” Vernon asked enthusiastically “Cause.. If you really want to join…you don’t need to ask Seungcheol for help….I’m your man” He trailed off as they reached the bottom of the staircase. Vernon didn’t quite have time to prevent his slight cringe as Seungkwan’s eyes narrowed suspiciously at him.

“Excuse me” Seungkwan says blankly, scratching the back of his head.

Instead of being deterred by that look he rambled on “I mean….I could put in a good word for you…if you need a bid…I’m just saying I could help”

“Oh god Vernon, You’re making me cringe….stop trying so hard and just give him your number you giant loser” Mingyu teased.

“Shhhut up!” His voice lashed out, fixing the point of a suddenly sharp look over his shoulder at Mingyu as he wandered past them into the kitchen.

“What’s he talking about?” Seungkwan asked.

“Uhmm….never mind” Vernon huffed.

………………………………………………..

Jihoon had just finished getting ready and before he could do more than vaguely glance at his reflection in the mirror, his phone buzzed to indicate that Seungcheol had arrived. They had arranged a date and time when they both didn’t have to be up early the next morning and Seungcheol-ever the gentleman insisted on collecting him from his dorm but deliberately refuses to tell him where he’s made tonight’s reservation.

Perhaps it’s the whole sudden formality of their situation, perhaps it’s because he’s never been on a serious date with reciprocated interest. But Jihoon feels giddy and nauseatingly anxious and he keeps trying to shake it off, unsure how much of it is adrenaline and how much is... what? Excitement? Fear? Unresolved sexual tension? Or maybe it was simple uneasiness at having Henry and his birds watch him prepare for his date.

“Good luck!” Henry’s voice echoed around the door as he pulled it closed behind him

“Thanks!” He replied…. _I’m going to need it._

When Seungcheol greets him, he’s leaning against the taxi smiling full and friendly and _ridiculously_ gorgeous- as always, without a hint of nerves. He saunters over to Jihoon, dressed in a black shirt stretched across his broad, sculpted torso, the top few buttons loose and hands sunk deep into pockets of trousers that must be specifically tailored for him because the material pulls exquisitely taut in _just_ the right areas. Jihoon has to take a moments to silently appreciate the wonderful view before letting Seungcheol manhandle him in a crushing embrace and guide him into the vehicle.

Only once the vehicle exits the campus is Jihoon relaxed enough to spare a glance at his date and freezes as he is handed a beautifully arranged bouquet of ….“Oh my god….you didn’t…….please don’t tell me you bought me flowers you sap!” Jihoon glared at the bouquet of velvety pink roses in his hands.

“Well off course I did…..we’re going on a date….flowers are expected! Besides I saw them and they….reminded me of you” Seungcheol explained, nodding to Jihoon’s perfectly coiffed pink hair as he moved a hand to rest on the smaller boy's knee to ‘stabilize’ him as the taxi lurched around a tight corner.

“I’m not a girl Cheol! I don’t expect flowers! And how exactly do they remind you of me?” Jihoon seethes, trying not to noticeably admire the beautifully arranged bouquet he’s been gifted.

“Because…you’ve got pink hair….and….you’re a delicate flower” Seungcheol offers fortunately.

“Excuse me?” Jihoon snaps heatedly.

“No?....ok…how about this….they remind me of you because….you’re a precious petal?” He tries again.

“Cheol……when we get out of the taxi….I’m going to beat you to death with these flowers!” he whispers dangerously in the older boy’s ear.

“I knew I shouldn’t have tried the new nicknames and flowers on the same day….I should have stuck with baby” Seungcheol mused.

The taxi deposits them in front of a restaurant and despite Jihoon’s earlier threat and his insistence that he **not** be treated like a girl, Seungcheol has the audacity to guide him inside with a hand firmly placed on the small of his back. Jihoon is tempted to cuff him over the head but as they enter the open space of the restaurant, he is suddenly too preoccupied trying to take everything in to really care. The Restaurant is French and the ambience inside is muted and beautiful and so appealingly authentic that Jihoon thinks he’s a little bit in love with whoever decorated it.

After the waiter recites the specials and leaves them to reflect on the menu, Jihoon glares over the top of his menu at his companion.

“You must have some **_serious_** balls to buy me flowers Cheol…..don’t think I’ve forgotten. I’m still planning on beating you to death with them“ Jihoon threatens openly, gesturing to the bouquet placed delicately on his lap….well he didn’t have a vase and he wasn’t exactly going to leave them on the floor to get trampled on.

“You got lucky because I just got a little distracted … this place is so… _.quaint_ ” He said, enjoying how the word rolled off his tongue. “I’m tempted to order the most expensive thing on this menu… **.just** to punish you Hyung. But I have no idea what ‘Langue de boeuf’ is and I don’t think the description of ‘Tête de veau’ or the “Lamprey á la Bordelaise’ sounds very appetizing. But I could punish your bank account and order them anyway and just not eat them” Jihoon says dryly, eyes darting between the menu and back at Seungcheol as he speaks.

Seungcheol eyed his menu suspiciously, not fairing any better with translating the ingredient list. “I’m sorry about the flowers baby…. I thought you would like them….but…..if that’s what you classify as punishment. Be my guest, I don’t mind” he said, shrugging in acceptance.

“Oh….what then Cheol-Hyung would **you** classify as fitting punishment?” Jihoon asked amused, folding his menu to glare across the table at his date.

“Nothing materialistic really. I’d be more upset if you …say .....gave me the cold shoulder, imposed a make-out ban or a hug ban, touching ban…….. _wait_ ……...please don’t punish me with any of those!” Seungcheol pleaded quickly, realizing his error in pointing out his weaknesses. “I wasn’t trying to define our roles by buying you those flowers Jihoonie….I bought you those flowers because I thought that they…like you…were _beautiful_ ”

Jihoon winced visibly under the weight of such magnificent praise, blush glowing on his cheeks readily. It was hard to stay angry when Seungcheol winked and flirted in that off-the-wall, impulsive way of his and harder still when he called him _beautiful_ and took such great pride in shattering his well-maintained facade into a thousand pieces.

Felling like he had struck gold with his comment, as so indicated by the flush adorning the younger boy’s face, Seungcheol delved a little deeper to elicit some more curious reactions from Jihoon. “I’m sorry Jihoonie….I’ve been so captivated.. just enjoying watching you I haven’t even got around to telling you just how beautiful you look”

“Shhhhh..oh… _Cheol_ , dude…. we are in a public place!” Jihoon hissed, face hot with mortification, fingers cramping around the menu as he resisted the temptation to escape prompt embarrassment by hiding under the tablecloth.

 “So what….I can’t compliment you? We’re in a fancy shmancy restaurant Jihoonie….which has _probably_ seen its fair share of proposals and Valentine’s day bookings, I’m sure they’re used to hearing romantic phrase” The twinkling in those dark eyes was infectious, but Jihoon tried to keep up his facade a bit longer.

“Yeah maybe…..it’s just not something **I’m** used to hearing…about myself ” Jihoon said dismissively, standing up his menu to hide his ever reddening face.

“Hey! Don’t try and build a menu fort and hide from me little knife…I will… huff and puff and blow that menu fort down….then I will compliment you all over again” The menu trembled in Jihoon’s hands as he chewed his lips to shreds, laughing at Seungcheol’s passion. He yielded when Seungcheol reached over and tipped the menu down flat against the table, so he could once again see Jihoon’s face.

“That’s better, I don’t like it when you hide from me….then I can’t say nice things to you like ….…….. **damn you’re so pretty Jihoon!”** He said deliberately louder, earning them a few attentive glances from the tables nearest to them.

“Holy shit….. ** _shhh_** …shut the fuck up _Cheol!_ ” Jihoon burned, shushing him with a wave of his hand, looking scandalized. His head abruptly twisted around to see who else may have caught the tail end of their conversation but the other diners seemed relaxed and focused elsewhere.

Seungcheol chuckled warmly at his paranoid reaction “Relax Jihoonie…you need to chill although I love it when you’re shy…..when your cheeks go all pink and puffy….it’s adorable. But….Ya know…people usually round off a compliment with one of their own back….just saying” Seungcheol said, blatantly fishing for a compliment. Had it been anybody else vying for his attention in such a manner, Jihoon would have found it irritating, but Seungcheol managed to pull it off with tactful charm.

The corners of Jihoon’s eyes creased as he smirked “Oh wow ….I forgot how _needy_ you are Hyung!” he teases for a moment, but when Seungcheol sets his menu down and looks at him expectedly, Jihoon finds he is lacking the vocabulary to express just how attractive the older boy is. His attempt at a compliment comes out somewhat enervating “Ok……..uhmmm…lets see…..uhmm……you…uhm… look _nice_ ”

“Nice?..... _nice?_ ” Seungcheol gasps, sounding utterly dismayed. Jihoon grimaces at his own stupidity. If he’s been complimented with anything other than beautiful from now on he’d probably slap Seungcheol in the face!

Seungcheol rubbed the palms of his hands down his shoulder, faking a shiver. “Ouch….. _brrrr_ … _brrr_ …is it cold in here? Cause I think I just felt my balls shrink up” he kidded.

“Oh….shit…” Jihoon laughed “I didn’t mean for it to sound so flat….I’m sorry Hyung….……you look….. _very nice?”_ Seungcheol’s mouth twisted wryly and he inclined his head mockingly to the side with a playful pout on his lips.

“Will you excuse me Jihoon, I just need to head to the bathroom for a second to powder my _nice_ nose and cry my _nice_ eyes out”

Jihoon felt his body heat several degrees from head to toe and he shielded his face with his hands “Ok ok…..I’m _really_ sorry…...I’m obviously not very good at this….I don’t know why I’m struggling to say what I want to right now …cause ever since you picked me up I’ve been thinking about how you look _sexy as fuck_ ” he admitted shyly, tips of his ears burning.

“….Sexy as fuck?…ohhhh.. **yeah** , I like that….go on” Seungcheol nodded smugly, appreciating the unintentional compliment.

Jihoon peeked cautiously at him through the cracks of his fingers, noting some success had been achieved on the flattery front and continued “Yeah…super…. _super sexy_ ….with that shirt….and those trousers…… **wow** ….they really do wonders for your …… _exceptional ass_ ”  Jihoon practically crooned, confidence escalating suddenly with his own ability to praise as he raked his eyes down Seungcheol’s body, as though he can see the fit of his trousers underneath the dining table.

“Phew….Oh my god Jihoon….we’re in a public place!” Seungcheol teases fanning himself “You’re making me blush”

They’re interrupted when the waiter returns to take their order and they are forced to pretend that they have been religiously pursuing the menu all along. Thankfully, they have been gifted with a waiter with a huge reserve of patience who manages to remain respectably professional even when Seungcheol asks about the specials for the third time in an obvious ploy to hear him say “Exquisite” in a thick French accent.

Jihoon orders the baked Camembert because he’s somewhat familiar with the cheese and the lamb, because he's ravenous and because Seungcheol insisted it's only fair he pays for his mistake now rather than later; and because it’s the third most expensive main on the menu with ingredients he _actually_ recognizes and can pronounce. He’s tells Seungcheol he’s putting it down as punishment, though Jihoon doesn't think it's strictly necessary to punish him at all anymore, not when his flowers _are_ beautiful and he feels light-headed just looking at them.

Seungcheol is attentive throughout, touching Jihoon’s hand whenever he can, subtle and sweet to ensure Jihoon’s comfort level is never breached. When the server arrives with their starters, Jihoon makes to retract his hand instinctively but Seungcheol just maintains his grip and squeezes Jihoon’s hand lightly to coax him into relaxing again. As the evening winds downs and Jihoon appears sufficiently content with their date thus far, Seungcheol muster his courage to gently pursue the topic that Seungkwan had brought up the previous day.

He thought long and hard about the best way to breach the topic, but what seemed like a good opening question last night when he was lying awake in bed, became suddenly _too_ rehearsed and foreign to him when he spoke “So, I have a question….on Friday when we were discussing…ours previous experiences, you said you’d only been with a few girls”

Jihoon nodded as he chewed, then swallowed “A few is an understatement in itself Seungcheol…I’ve dated two girls…. One in Junior school…which was just a silly ‘kiss and tell your friends’ thing that lasted like two months and the other…….was in high school. That was it”

Seungcheol nodded casually, then asked “The one in high school…was it a _serious_ relationship?” that question made Jihoon’s face set rigid, all traces of his former warmth disintegrating. Seungcheol's not sure if he's considering the question, if he’s predicted Seungcheol’s intent or if he's just angry to have been asked about his ex. It’s not one of the worst things to discuss on a date night…but it’s not one of the best either. It’s a topic most couples avoid until they are well into an established relationship but Seungcheol knows he can’t spend another night fitfully running Seungkwan’s words over in his head.

Jihoon is contemplatively silent for a moment then finally he mutters, "It wasn’t real…..not for her anyway." He tells him quietly, almost under his breath. “I was 17…….off course not, what relationship is serious at that age” he confirms more coherently.

“Yeah, but at the time it seems serious. Now we can look back and laugh at how naïve we were in school but I actually thought I was gonna marry my first girlfriend” Seungcheol admitted.

“Really? How old where you?” Jihoon asked.

“Twelve” Seungcheol replied and Jihoon huffed a little in disbelief.

“Hey, don’t laugh…she was as you would say… _nice_! I dated her a second time in high school she was so … _nice_ ” Seungcheol defended

“Then if she was so … _nice_ …. why aren’t you dating her now Cheol-Hyung!”

“Ew no thanks!” Seungcheol dismissed “Cause my tastes have become _refined_ ….and she hit a reverse ugly duckling stage in senior year!” Seungcheol admitted as Jihoon cracked up in laughter. “Ok. Enough about me..….back to you, what about your relationship? How did that work out….”

“It worked out great….I’m still dating her now….which reminds me I better call her and tell her I’m gonna be late!” Jihoon joked.

“You better not be!........Seriously though………how was it?” he smiled, his tone implying a question, but Jihoon _knew_ that look and even as he smiled back, nodding, he sensed he was familiar with this particular line of questioning.

Seungcheol grinned and decided the peculiar look of suspicion on Jihoon’s face was simply a result of his own rattling nervous state, swaying his perceptions. That thought flew out the window when Jihoon leaned forward, pursed his lips and rested his elbows on the table, staring down his companion questionably "What are you doing Seungcheol?"

“Uhh….what do you mean?” Seungcheol stutters, a rabbit in headlights comes to mind.

“Why are you asking me this question now? Why are you… acting so strange?” Jihoon sits back in his chair and watches with shrewd eyes as Seungcheol fidgets anxiously in his seat under the scrutiny.

“No reason….I just thought it would be interesting to talk about….was the steak good? Do you want more food? Where is that waiter with the dessert menu?”

Jihoon’s gaze lingers, It’s easy to identify what a nervous Seungcheol looks like, especially if you are habituated with cocky, poised, serene Seungcheol day in -day out. It’s easy to listen to the things the latter Seungcheol says, to believe every word. But nervous Seungcheol was not convincing him at all and the topic of conversation seemed odd for a date night…a first date night nonetheless. “No…you are definitely up to something Cheol….”

Seungcheol sighed, swallowing his last gulp of wine “Ok, Jihoonie, I’m gonna level with you here…..The reason I’m bringing this up…. is because ....I had a nice little visit from Seungkwan yesterday”

Jihoon slumped his shoulders and rolled his eyes “Oh…for fucks sake…..what did he tell you?”

Seungcheol paused for a moment “Nothing really….he was really fucking cryptic. He just kept saying how I needed to WATCH OUT and that he was ‘ _Watching me like a hawk’_ and I better not do that _thing_ that you had done to you…..but then he never told me what that _thing_ was and I don’t even know what I’m meant to be avoiding”

Jihoon dabs his mouth with the edge of the napkin, and drops his hand, fingers still gripping the cloth tightly between his fingers. “Hm…Well I have no idea what he’s talking about either cause my past relationship wasn’t that big of a deal. So just forget about it”

“Ok….but…..If it’s not a big deal why don’t you tell me about it?” Seungcheol probed gently.

“No thanks” Jihoon replied too quickly for it to appear anything but deflection.

“Why not?” Seungcheol’s kind of winging it at this point, his cleverly constructed plan had failed now and he was following his instincts.

“Because… I told you…. it wasn’t a big deal” Jihoon said, nostrils flaring, his posture slumped and relaxed even as his face reflected intolerance.

“Think I’d still like to hear about it……….just so that I can appreciate the reason why Seungkwan is going to be....’watching me like a hawk’ ….”

“Why do you need to know about it so bad?” Jihoon says, chest rising with a sigh, tired of arguing.

Seungcheol swallowed at the odd light in Jihoon’s eyes then, shrugging loosely he offered “Because you are my boyfriend….and….obviously it wasn’t a great relationship and I want to make sure I don’t do anything to upset you. Boyfriend’s shouldn’t have secrets from each other”

Jihoon stops nervously twisting the corner of the napkin around his finger and looks him straight in the eye, so Seungcheol thinks he's at least accomplished something even if it’s as small as halting a nervous twitch “You’re not….not going to fuck anything up. Even when you do stuff that _usually_ irritates me when other people do it…I tolerate it from you for some reason. And …..We’ve been boyfriends for like…two days! You can’t use that excuse yet…maybe ever with me”

“We’ve been boyfriends longer than that…am I going to have to re-enact the spooning I gave you right here in this restaurant?” Seungcheol warned light-heartedly. “I know this might sound …weird…but…you seem so familiar to me….I feel like I’ve known you my whole life…” Seungcheol echoed the sentiment he made to Seungkwan earlier.

Seungcheol pondered on the thought contently before shaking his head. His smile melted away as his gaze locked back on the smaller boy and he saw Jihoon’s eyes go wide and almost hollow but for a lingering, startled distress underneath.

“….What….what did I say?…..what happened Jihoonie?”

“You pretty much hit the nail on the head there Seungcheol…..Why do I have to tell you all my secrets. You don’t even have a secret to share and you want me to give away all mine?”

Seungcheol leans forward in his chair“ I’d like to think I’m a pretty open book….but…ask me anything…I will tell you the honest truth!”

“Ok…..uhhmm………….uh………..fuck……..uh……..I can’t think of anything now!” Jihoon balled his fists, frustrated.

Seungcheol chuckled “It’s ok, park that question you can use it on me later, It doesn’t have an expiry date”

“No…wait…I thought of something” Jihoon blurted out “ Ok…..what did you think of me when we first met? And …be completely honest.”

“Ha, easy, I thought…wow he’s cute, I bet he’s still pretty looking when he’s on his back…and I better call dibs on him before anybody else gets the same idea” he confessed.

“Holy fuck … _Cheol….._ you pervert……you didn’t!” Jihoon gasped, mortified at his confession.

“Hey… you wanted honesty……I can’t help the way my brain functions….before you came along it was pleasure first, guilt later.” Seungcheol defended “So….. What did you think of me?”

“Hmmm…..do you really want the answer to that” Jihoon asked.

“So you _didn’t_ think I was sexy all along” Seungcheol spoke, slightly disillusioned.

“No, that wasn’t the first thing that came into my head…honestly.…I thought you were a shit for brain Jock. I mean ....in my defence you _did_ orchestrate my kidnapping….but glossed over the fact that I was a live being and the Beta-Tau-Sigma mascot was most definitely not…I mean you didn’t even research it properly.” Jihoon admitted

“Fine, I accept that stunt left a lot to be desired with the execution and….naturally yeah…..I mean we had just kidnapped you, that is bound to create some resentment at the start” Seungcheol accepted.

“The kidnapping aside….I didn’t have a positive impression of you because of…like you said…I _felt_ like I knew you before…but they’re not fond memories” Jihoon dismissed.

Seungcheol tenses up for a moment before sagging almost bonelessly back against his chair with a defeated little smile. Sometimes you have to listen for the things people aren’t telling you, and despite being told by almost everyone he has ever dated that he has a one track mind, Seungcheol’s actually really good at that part- At reading in between the lines. Whoever it was that hurt Jihoon-resembled him somehow. Maybe in appearance or the circumstance of their meeting or another similarity all together, but that’s why Seungkwan was concerned and probably had every right to be if the experience had been humiliating for Jihoon. And it _must_ have been humiliating…his reluctance to tell Seungcheol is evidence enough of that.

“So….do I remind you of your shitty ex girlfriend or the guy that picked on you in school? Or maybe both…”

Jihoon froze in his chair “Uh…..how…..how did you figure that out?” the inflection in his voice giving him away. “Damn……and here I thought you were just a pretty face”

“I’m a good listener” He said with a shrug of his shoulders.

“But….I didn’t tell you anything” Jihoon said

“You didn’t have to…..it’s like I said, it feels like I know you already” Seungcheol offered “Or maybe your rude and discouraging comments have inspired me to use more than 10% of my brain?” he joked. “So now that I’ve figured out most of the story….can you fill in the blanks please.... or am I gonna have to go all Cluedo on your ass to get the facts? Hmm? Is it Colonel Mustard-in the drawing room with the candlestick?

Jihoon smiles at that in spite of himself. The truth is, strangely enough, he’d like to tell Seungcheol about his experience. He doesn’t talk about it very often, particularly with people he’s trying to date, but he feels like Seungcheol has earned it. The thought of sharing his experiences- the thought alone ties his stomach up in knots. He barely made it through his senior year at school thanks to that special horror of a relationship and the torment that followed.

Jihoon frowns and looks off at the direction of the small decorative fountain in the center of the restaurant, then down at the brilliant pink rose blossoms of his bouquet. "I thought I had…you know a serious girlfriend…..but It didn’t turn out like….it wasn’t actually a relationship."

Seungcheol’s brows furrowed in confusion "What do you mean? Where you dating or not?"

"She was really popular and pretty. We had the same music class, 3rd period on a Monday. I used to sit next to her for years and she _never_ paid attention to me and then one day…I was _suddenly_ interesting. I thought I was the.. luckiest guy on Earth. I was head over heels…I know it sounds clichéd but if you can’t tell…. I was _pretty_ reserved in school and for someone like her to show interest in me…..ya know….it was impressive.….but" Jihoon huffs, because he still regrets letting it slip to Seungcheol that he’s limited with experience and now he’s revealing what little experience he has was one sided.

"It was all a big joke to her. None of it was real…..not the relationship, the emotion, …the _sex_ ….she was getting back at her ex and her absurd logic was….what better way then for him to see her dating the biggest loser in school….so yeah...you can say …it was pretty humiliating” Jihoon says, and the twist to his lips is self-deprecating

“After she…ended things…she got back together with him and he _tortured_ me for the rest of the school year until he graduated…..it was unbearable having everyone know how pathetic and desperate you are, there was no intimacy left unexposed….she just….used me" Jihoon murmured, throat thick with desperate grief but grateful for the surprising, but apparently necessary outlet to vent his frustrations.

Seungcheol appears to be looking at Jihoon's hands where they are wringing his napkin, knuckles white from his tense grip, but Jihoon can tell from the unfocused look in his eyes that he's a million miles away. "I’m sorry" he blurts out suddenly, focusing his vision on Jihoon again.

“Wh..what are you apologizing for? I’m just telling you what happened…it’s not like you were there…..you didn’t have anything to do with it” Jihoon huffed through an impassive mask he’d somehow mastered out of sheer necessity.

Seungcheol bit his lip, dropping his gaze “Yeah I know…….but I was _kind of_ a dick in school. I may not have done anything to you personally….but I _probably_ did something equally horrible to someone else in your position….I guess Seungkwan can see that…..that’s why he’s worried. He thinks I’m going to hurt you, maybe it’s a vicious cycle and I’m destined to be a dick in college too” Seungcheol offered dismally as his expression crumpled into distress and self-loathing.

“You’re wrong” Jihoon spoke.

“Huh”

“I didn’t know you back then and maybe you were a dick but….in the whole scheme of things, School is an insignificantly small chapter of your life. Who you are at school, isn’t the same person you grow up to be. There are bigger things that shape you as a person, more experiences that will actually define you down the line and so nobody should get bent out of shape about how tough a time they had, including me, or how in your case…how much of a dick they were….it doesn’t matter because you were never that person, you were just growing out of it.” Jihoon finished, slightly out of breath.

Seungcheol opens his mouth to speak but Jihoon interjects again “What I’m trying to say is Cheol-Hyung…I’m not worried about what Seungkwan thinks. He thinks I’m recreating high-school drama and….maybe initially, _very_ _briefly_ you reminded me of somebody that hurt me once. Maybe I even remind you of someone you were a dick to once…I can’t hold that against you because you’re not that jock anymore and I don’t want to be that pushover anymore. I’m here with you… now because I like you …and I’m not going to let a stupid memory get in the way of being your boyfriend because…you’ve been nothing but sweet to me Cheol ” he finished, smiling tenderly.

Seungcheol reached his hand across the table to thread his fingers with Jihoon’s, a warm beam on his face.

“So….since we are on the topic of Ex’s……tell me about yours now….get it out now…and then lets never talk about it again” Jihoon said.

“Ok…There was this one girl…..she was the love of my life…yah I suppose I could say that now. She was perfect. Sweet, beautiful, loving. I thought we would be together forever. When we ended things I cried and cried, I thought the pain would never go away. I thought I would never recover. I had a hole in my chest that nothing could fill”

Jihoon's brows furrowed in concern at the deep emotion on the older boys face “Oh my god…..why did you guys break up? What happened?”

“Her parents sent her to a different kindergarten ……”

Jihoon sighed gustily, having chanced a look at Seungcheol’s quirking lips “You son of a bitch!”

“What?…she was the love of my life!” Seungcheol said over dramatically.

“You ..complete ass wipe” Jihoon berated, biting his cheek to hold back his smile “I just shared a traumatic past relationship with you…a _real_ one! And you’re talking about kissing girls in the sand-pit!”

Seungcheol grinned mischievously as Jihoon flung his napkin at him “I’m sorry..sorry…Honestly though… I’ve never had a real serious girlfriend. Just….girls I dated for making out with…ya know….taking to the prom. I just made that last story up because….I wanted to make you smile again” Seungcheol said _“…aaannnd I think it worked!”_ he cooed, pointing out Jihoon’s amusement.

Jihoon felt a muscle in his cheek twitch, as he tried to contain his smile, but was failing spectacularly.

Seungcheol reaches across the table to take Jihoon’s hand again, thumb rubbing eccentric circles over the dips of his fingers and Jihoon doesn’t even flinch back now when the waiter appears next to them, holding out the dessert menu.

“Would Monsieur’s’ care to look at the dessert menu?” The waiter asked politely.

“No, we’re not going to stay for dessert” Jihoon answered for them both, abruptly.

“No?” Seungcheol asked bleakly. Watching the waiter nod- bow and leave, a small measure of disappointment in his voice. He thought things were going so well.

"I don’t want to be here anymore Seungcheol”…. he starts, proud of the nonchalant confidence in his voice “I’d prefer to have dessert …when we get back to your room” Jihoon says, his voice drops down to something sinful and warm and Seungcheol has to mentally shake himself to verify that he is not hallucinating.

Seungcheol’s eyebrows shoot up into his hairline as he pulls his wallet out of his pocket, nodding slowly. "Yeah so….back to mine?" he says, voice cracking slightly with excitement.

Jihoon falters. "I mean, if that would be okay with you…..if you’re tired w-

“CHECK PLEASE!” Seungcheol hollers eagerly to get the waiters attention as Jihoon crumbles into a fit of laughter in his seat.

…………………………………….

When they walked out of the Restaurant, the temperature dropped what felt like twenty degrees in seconds and the roads were dark save for the illuminated footpaths on either side of the road. Jihoon let out a long breath which became visible in the deceptively chilly autumn air. "Fuck..ssssccccoold…” he muttered, digging his chin deeper into his coat collar and scrubbing at his rapidly numbing cheeks with his free hand, the other clutching his flowers to his chest protectively.

Seungcheol pocketed his phone and moved to stand beside him “Taxi is on it’s way, he says traffic in the city centre is slowing him…...are you cold?” Seungcheol asked, standing with his jacket gaping loosely, seemingly unfazed by the arctic atmosphere surrounding them.

“Yup” Jihoon said with an amused snort as he felt heat radiating off the older boy’s body standing next to him.

“Aww..Come here baby….let me warm you up” Seungcheol’s hands were stroking up and down his sides and arms, rubbing heat back into his body, and Jihoon shivered under the strokes, warming to them.

“Th..atthn…nn…ksss. Sccc.ooo..ops” Jihoon said, teeth chattering beginning to even out as his body warmed.

“No problem Jihoonie….you’re like a little popsicle, I can’t believe how cold you are” he said, pulling the slighter body against his.

“No…nnooo….nooot fffor warming me up…wellll yyyyeah, thanks for wwwwarming me up but thankssss for dinner….and…the flowersssss….and forrr deaaaling witthh Seungkwan’s dramaticsss….…I tttthink he’s gonna wattttch you like a hawkkk regardlesssss of whatttt I ttttell him” Jihoon said stiltedly.

“It was my pleasure Jihoonie…” he told him softly, sincerely “As for Seungkwan…I can live with that…I’m just happy you have somebody else who is going to look out for you” he said, then Seungcheol’s hands ran down his hips, and one hand dragged back up his chest and pulled his arms from their tight knot across his chest, tugging Jihoon’s hands between his and rubbing them between his palms, frictioning warmth back into them.

“You’re still so cold baby…..come here” he said pulling Jihoon towards the curb. Jihoon moved numbly, watching as large warm hands pulled at his, shuddering at the feeling of cold air hitting his flesh at the brief loss of contact as Seungcheol pulls him closer to the edge of the pavement and steps down to road level and turns to face him, because the disparity is unfair and now their height difference is less noticeable with Jihoon still standing on the elevated curb “Ughh…I’m standing up here….and….you’re _still_ taller…..” he huffed as Seungcheol’s head rested against his, warm fingers skating ever so slightly under the hem of his shirt.

Jihoon let out a soft sigh as his body began to warm and he stepped forward, his head tilting up to breathe into Seungcheol’s neck as he murmured against his skin. “Suppose you’re going to tell me your body’s a furnace because of all your freaking muscle mass”

Seungcheol laughed “I wasn’t going to actually….but it’s the truth!” He leaned forward, his lips so close to Jihoon’s ear that Jihoon could feel them moving when he spoke, his breath soft and enticing. “I’ve got an even faster way of warming you up baby”

Jihoon’s eyes widened briefly before his lashes fluttered low, not completely coy, but somehow still bashful.

“We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to Jihoonie, remember that…I can wait….right now I just want to kiss you” He murmured with sweet hopefulness in his voice and then opens his eyes, tipping his forehead against Jihoon’s as he reached his palms up to cradle the smaller boy’s face, his thumbs drawing lazy circles on his cheeks.

Their taxi pulls up behind them and of course Seungcheol, the impetuous romantic shit-picks this moment to kiss Jihoon, in full view of the driver, who patiently waits for them for all of 30 seconds before blaring the horn to draw their attention.

Seungcheol breaks the kiss reluctantly and nods wordlessly at the driver, then presses his lips to Jihoon’s forehead. It's a sudden motion, yet in that moment it’s so precisely _intimate_ that it makes Jihoon gasp out loud, eyes quivering shut, clutching for Seungcheol’s arms tight in his hands. He doesn't know if Seungcheol notices how much the gesture affects him, but when he looks up again, Seungcheol has turned to face him, a relaxed smile lingering on his features and something thawed in Jihoon’s chest-something he didn’t even realize was frozen, was holding him back and there is no hesitation left when Seungcheol pulls him away from the curb into the awaiting vehicle.

On the short ride back to the frat house, he’s looking out the window at the passing street lights flashing by, his head tucked comfortably under the older boy’s chin, when Seungcheol takes his hand and he doesn't pull away. Jihoon doesn’t look up at him, but smiles as he feels the pad of Seungcheol’s thumb trace an imaginary line in-between his knuckles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is brought to you by  
> 1) Flowers? I think they are a beautiful gesture regardless of gender....What are you're thoughts?  
> 2) High school shit....Ughh..don't even.  
> 3) The idea that Seungcheol warms Jihoon up inside and out. He's just so cuddly It gives me heartaches!  
> 4) Ordering food at a French restaurant....like wtf! There is only so many times you can ask the waiter to explain what is available without sounding just plain stupid. The menu is NEVER in English and fine....they want to be authentic but I ordered Steak Tartare because I thought.....steak...how could it go wrong? IT'S FUCKING RAW!


	10. Fireworks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Universe interferes, A prank too far and...a photograph.

“Che…cheol?” Jihoon stuttered, looking out the window as the taxi approached their stop.

“Hmm?” Seungcheol hummed, head rested comfortably on the smaller boys.

“There’s fire engines outside your house!” Jihoon gasped

“What?” He said startled, whipping his head to look out the window _“Fuck!”_

…………………………………………………………

Wonwoo, Mingyu, Jun, Vernon, DK and Hoshi were standing on the lawn in their sleepwear, surrounded by several Firefighters and a paramedics crew filtering in and out of the darkened house. The lights from the two engines parked on the side was drawing people from their homes and a few neighbours were standing on their porches watching the commotion that evidently had woken them from sleep or interrupted their evenings.

“What the hell happened?” Seungcheol yelled, dashing out of the taxi as soon as it pulled up and hurling a pile of cash somewhere in the drivers general direction.

“Cheol!” Wonwoo exclaimed in relief “Oh my god, we weren’t sure if you were still outside or got home and got trapped inside!” He said.

“What?” Seungcheol asked in disbelief.

“I’ll just go and let the fire crew know that’s everyone accounted for now!” DK said, running up to a group of officials standing near the porch.

“What _happened?”_ Seungcheol fumed.

“Uhh…we don’t quite _know_ Cheol-Hyung” Vernon stuttered, scratching his head.

“Yeah, me and DK were chilling downstairs in the living room and then all these explosions went off and smoke started filling the room” Mingyu explained.

“I think the curtains caught fire….”Hoshi mused as DK returned to their crowd with two firefighters in tow.

The most senior one rounded up on them, scowl implanted on his face “Which one of you is in charge here?” He asked, darting his eyes around the group.

“I’m the Chapter President” Seungcheol said, raising his hand “I just got here, what’s going on?”

“Do you think this is funny son?” He asked stepping up to Seungcheol, facing him down.

“Do I look like I’m laughing?” Seungcheol snapped back.

“Maybe you can explain to me why your antics deserve to have **two** fire-fighting crews out in the middle of the night when we could be needed urgently elsewhere” He spat, poking Seungcheol roughly in the chest as he spoke.

“Antics? **What antics?”** Seungcheol frothed, shoving the hand away.

“This!” He spat, dumping a fire blanket at his feet and flinging it open to reveal a pile of smoking melted plastic and burnt wood, the smell of which was so pungent Seungcheol covered his nose with the back of his hand, the smoke stinging his eyes.

“What is it?” Jihoon asked, poking his head past Seungcheol’s shoulder to peek.

“I’d estimate its roughly…1 kilo of counterfeit fireworks!” He shouted “Not only are they illegal to possess but it’s also pretty darn stupid to hide them up your chimney spout- especially if you plan on lighting up the fire place!”

 ** _“Fireworks?!”_** Seungcheol said in disbelief “I……I didn’t know they were there….I didn’t even know we had them….guys?” He asked looking at the other boys who all shook their head in confusion.

“Well… _somebody_ put them there!” He yelled pointedly.

“Well it wasn’t any of us!” Mingyu retorted back exasperated.

“Sir, why the **hell** would we stuff fireworks up our own chimney? I mean, we’ve done some pretty stupid stuff before but this is just fucking suicidal!” Seungcheol countered.

“Ohh…oh my god….I bet you it was Beta-Tau-Sigma!” Hoshi chimed in flapping his hands, ignoring the confused glances he got from the two officials. “They’re retaliating!” Hoshi said.

“Retaliating for _what?_ We haven’t done anything yet!” Vernon offered.

“Hmmm…. _Or have we_?” Hoshi said cryptically, turning his gaze to Jihoon “Maybe they’re retaliating for the kidnap of their **mascot!** ” He explained, pointing the finger at Jihoon.

“Ughh…Dear god in heaven!” Jihoon groaned, slumping his shoulders at Hoshi’s stupidity “Deja-Fucking-Vu!”

“Think about it you guys!” Hoshi said dramatically “We’ve let down our guard….and unknowingly we let the fox into the chicken coop!”

“He’s got a point there” Jun said

 **“What!”** Jihoon gasped

“No, not about you being the mascot Jihoon, that’s just _stupid_ , He’s right about letting somebody into the house unknowingly” Jun offered “On Friday night….during the mixer, there were a lot of people there that night”

“Yeah! People I don’t even _remember_ inviting!” Mingyu said

“Exactly” Jun continued “Any one of them had the means and the opportunity to stuff a pile of fireworks in the chimney”

“The room was packed! And the stage was set up in front of the fireplace, they could have easily snuck behind it during the mixer, nobody would have noticed!” Wonwoo said, merging the pieces of the story together.

“Then they just had to wait until we lit a fire!” Mingyu said “This is the first night we lit one since the night of the mixer!”

“It all makes sense!” Seungcheol said nodding his head.

“ **OR** …… _Jihoon did it!”_ Hoshi countered unhelpfully, which earned him a rough shove from Seungcheol.

“Listen…I don’t know what you kids are talking about” The senior firefighter began speaking again, seemingly more calm then before “But this stunt was dangerous, you could have suffocated from smoke inhalation, and the chimney was so blocked even if a fire hadn’t started you could have died of Carbon Monoxide poisoning” He raised a hand to silence Seungcheol’s denial of the accusation “Maybe it _wasn’t_ one of you, but I’m giving you a warning for your own good. Something like this happens again and I will be warning the college” He said, turning and leaving the group.

 **“Fuck!”** Seungcheol hissed angrily.

“Damn…..Beta-Tau-Sigma really go all out with their pranks eh?” DK sighed.

“How do you even know it WAS them?” Jihoon asked.

“It _was_ them” Jun confirmed confidently “They’re getting payback for ‘The Angel’” he said.

“The _Angel_?” Jihoon asked quizzically.

“Yeah, their previous mascot….that we destroyed last year. We sorta….torpedoed their plumbing system by flushing it down one of their toilets during a graduation party. It did a number on their sewage system, it was so messy and got them evicted….and when the college found out…we got put on probation” he explained. “Did Seungcheol-Hyung not tell you about it…..it was all his idea”

“You’re idea? Cheol…..you mastermind” Jihoon said in shock, looking over at Seungcheol “Is that what you were planning on doing with me too?”

Seungcheol waved his hands submissively at Jihoon’s glare “Nooo........off course not Jihoonie….not when I found out you were a live person!” he deflected.

“Yeah…..then he just wanted to pork you” DK teased crudely. “Besides….you’re small.. but not small enough to flush Jihoon!”

“I don’t know about that…I can give it a try, It might take a couple of hundred flushes but I’m game!” Hoshi said, returning to stand with the others briefly before Seungcheol shoved him away again.

Seungcheol was called away to fill out some paperwork and then the fire crew gave them the all clear to return inside the house but advised them to keep the downstairs windows open to air the house appropriately. Once the paramedics were certain nobody was experiencing symptoms of smoke inhalation they filtered back into the house and Jihoon followed them inside murmuring something about finding a vase for his roses.

Seungcheol watched as the engines pulled away, the flashing lights of the sirens swallowed up by the darkness as they disappeared in the distance. The street was quiet once more but the lingering smell of sulfur and smoke clung to his nostrils from the remnants of the firework fumes. He sat down on the porch step, looking out across the lawn, elbows propped on his knees as he hung his head sluggishly.

The day had played havoc with his emotions, when he woke up this morning he couldn’t have expected such a culmination of feelings to encroach upon him in a short 16 hour period- he felt slothful with exhaustion. There was light pressure on either side of his hip as somebody sat on the step behind him, then hands on either shoulder, kneading softly into the tense muscles, pulling a groan from him.

He slumped back against the weight behind him- _Jihoon_ -tipping his head back against the younger’s chest, eyes closing as the nimble fingers continued to soften and coax the muscles to slacken.

“Poor Cheollie” Jihoon cooed, one hand leaving his shoulder to brush the hair on Seungcheol’s forehead up, dipping his head to place a soft kiss on the exposed skin. Seungcheol hummed in appreciation.

They sat together quietly for a moment, warm with each other despite the increasingly chilly air and Seungcheol could have easily fallen asleep like that, head pillowed in Jihoon’s lap but he was aware of a soft rumble of laughter reverberating in Jihoon’s chest then and he looked up to gauge the source of his amusement. Jihoon is watching him with an expression that Seungcheol would be tempted to call fond.

"What’s so funny little knife?" Seungcheol asked and Jihoon leaned over him, their fringes brushing and overlapping.

“Hm… _nothing_ …I was….I was just thinking about…..how…how the universe keeps interrupting us” Jihoon said, with an amused edge that tightened Seungcheol's throat.

"That's **not** funny, I can’t catch a break with all these interruptions" Seungcheol said, and by now Jihoon was so close to his face that he could feel the warm puff of his breath on his forehead.

"It’s a _little_ funny" Jihoon replied.

Seungcheol's brain does that thing it does sometimes, it slows down and lets him function on his impulses “FUCK THE UNIVERSE!” he yelled out suddenly.

Jihoon clapped a hand around his mouth to silence his screeching.

“ _Shhhhhhh_ …..it’s nearly midnight you ass-hat!” Jihoon hissed “Do you want to get put on probation again for disturbing the peace with your melodramatics?” Seungcheol shook his head weakly, and Jihoon removed the palm from his lips, tracing it down the older boys face tenderly before distractedly trailing it up his jaw and behind one ear. He scratched behind Seungcheol’s ear, successfully triggering a skittish reaction from the tickle and a fluid shiver ran up Seungcheol’s body as it responded to the sensitivity in that area. Seungcheol released a heavy sigh as Jihoon teased the spot again, then moved to trace a finger around the piercing that dimpled the shell of his ear.

“I’m sorry the night had to end like this” Seungcheol said thoughtfully, eyes still shut, relaxed against the youngers chest.

“It’s not your fault Cheol! I can hardly blame you if somebody shoves fireworks up your chimney!” Jihoon said, brushing Seungcheol’s bangs back into place and smoothing them down his forehead.

He catches a glint in Seungcheol’s eyes and rolls his own as he interprets the obscenity in the comment. “You’re thinking about how perverted that sounds…. _shoving fireworks up a chimney_ ….aren’t you Cheol!?” Jihoon berates.

“Noo” Seungcheol pouts fluttering his eyelashes.

“Yes **you are** …you’re so depraved _.._ ….you’re thinking about shoving your firework up my chimney ..just admit it” Jihoon chides, holding back a smile from his features as he continued his ministrations on Seungcheol’s shoulders.

Seungcheol chuckles warmly in response, eyes slipping shut again “You big- adorable- pervert” Jihoon tittered “Thank god you’re cute or I would have punched you in the face by now!”

“Hmmm you called me cute, adorable and _Sexy_ ….all in the same day…wow I must be doing something right to get such awesome praise from you” Seungcheol mused, tilting his head back further to look at Jihoon.

"Don't get cocky" Jihoon manages to retort, while he leans down just enough to capture Seungcheol's lower lip between his teeth, sucking on it and tracing it gently with his tongue. When he lets go, Seungcheol dips up quickly for another peck.

“I also called you a _pervert_ and an _ass-hat_ and…several other things….I’m pretty sure my insults have outranked my compliments thus far so don’t start patting your own back just yet” Jihoon teased.

“Hmmm…I’m sorry I don’t _recall_ you insulting me “Seungcheol feigned ignorance “….I just remember getting told I was sexy, adorable and cute….oh…and _nice_ ”

“ _Very_ nice!” Jihoon corrected him, giggling. Seungcheol grinned, eye’s slipping shut again as the worries of the night simmered to a gentle boil.

“C’mon Hyung….it’s fucking cold out here…and you’re heavy….come inside and warm me up” Jihoon whispered, leaning over once again to press an upside down kiss to Seungcheol’s cheek. The older boy practically scrambled out of his position leaning against Jihoon’s chest to stand eagerly, reaching to pull Jihoon up as well.

“Let’s go then….but… let me walk in first….so you can appreciate my _exceptional ass_ ” Seungcheol said looking over his shoulder coyly.

“Oh my god….you’re never going to let that go are you” Jihoon laughed rolling his eyes again.

“Nope…… _whoops_ …I think I dropped my keys….let me just bend down to pick them-“ He teased, pretending to pick something up off the ground.

“Seriously? The door is wide open Cheol!” Jihoon laughed, shoving the older boy forward- towards the entrance.

Seungcheol regained his balance and tried again “Oh…but my laces are untied….Let me just bend over to tie them---“

“I can **see** from here that they are tied, it was a nice try..close but no cigar Cheol!” Jihoon shoved him playfully again.

“Hey, I’m just giving you what you want to see! Making up for lost time….I can’t believe Beta-Tau-Sigma nearly cock-blocked me with that prank” He said honestly as they entered the house.

 

…………………………………………………..

Beta-Tau Sigma may _nearly_ have cock-blocked him and failed…. but that night Seungcheol succeeded in cock-blocking himself instead.

It was late. The others had left for bed, leaving the house dark and quiet again when they both retired to the bedroom. Seungcheol dimmed the overhead light in his room as he grappled with his belt, unbuckling it and relieving himself of his trousers. Jihoon quietly excused himself and nipped into the bathroom briefly and Seungcheol nodded in his direction before he sat on the edge of the bed to untie his laces and toe of his shoes. The plushness of the bed beckoned him and he leaned back on it, in an almost obscenely comfortable way as he started to unbutton his shirt.

That was his first mistake, because as soon as his head hit the mattress--he promptly fell asleep.

When Jihoon emerged from the bathroom timidly, the older boy was passed out on the bed snoring softly, half dressed with slacks on the floor and shirt still buttoned as he dozed contently into the comforter.

Jihoon took one blinking look at him and then choked enormously on his laughter, darting back into the bathroom as not to awake the older boy as his body seized with enjoyment.

_Poor Cheol….he’s so tired!_

Jihoon moves to switch off the harsher ceiling light, enveloping the room in darkness but does turn the bedside lamp on instead. Seungcheol is only partially illuminated by it and there are shadows obscuring half his face, but Jihoon can still make out the soft flush of his cheeks, the relaxed slope of his brow and the shine on his lips, slightly parted as he exhaled. There were smudged circles underneath Seungcheol's eyes, they had developed since he returned from their date as the stress of the evening took its toll on him, but Jihoon saw them more clearly now in the dim light of the room

Jihoon did his best to muffle his giggles as he tried to pull the heavier body further up the bed to lie more comfortably so his legs weren’t draping over the edge and Seungcheol mumbled something incoherently in his sleep as Jihoon rolled him over with supreme effort.

_Fuck he’s heavy!_

“Hmmm…noo..I don't wanna go to school” Seungcheol groaned in his sleep and Jihoon bit his knuckle to curb the laughter emitting from his throat.

Jihoon moved to straddle the older boy’s hips, noting that he hadn’t been in anyone’s lap this often since he was a kid and in any other circumstance, riding Seungcheol like this would have been an arousing experience. He worked on deftly unbuttoning Seungcheol’s shirt, pulling it open once he unhooked the last button and sat back to appreciate the impressive physical specimen beneath him. Running an appreciative finger down the centre of Seungcheol’s chest carefully, elicited a lewd yet sleepy smile from Seungcheol. It was then that he became aware of the inquisitive hardness against his upper-inner thigh and he glanced down to see Seungcheol’s body responding to his gentle caress, cock outlining the fabric of his boxers prominently.

_He’s sleeping….yet he manages a boner…unbelievable! I hardly touched him!_

Jihoon swallowed, hard, and thought about ten different ways he could get Seungcheol off — while he was still sleeping, but thought against adding Somniphilia to his resume just yet, despite the heavy weight of ‘Cheol-Jnr’ nudging against his inner thigh in anticipation, almost willingly consenting for his sleeping owner.

“Pervert” he muttered under his breath, reaching to tug the shirt down underneath Seungcheol’s arms and back so that he could avoid rolling him over again, he wasn’t sure he could manage that feat twice with exhaustion looming over him. With his heroic effort completed he climbed off the sleeping boy and began to undress himself, rolling his shoulders and stretching his joints as he glanced around the room. He would need to borrow one of Seungcheol’s t-shirts to sleep in again and peered in a couple of drawers quickly with no success before moving to the large wardrobe on the other end of the bed and pulling it open slowly as to reduce the creaking it emitted as the heavy door swung open. Peaking inside, he thumbed through some shirts and pulled out one, shaking it out of its neatly folded state, examining it before confirming that it was acceptable sleep attire.

He was about to close the wardrobe when a blue shiny glimmering of fabric stuffed in the corner caught his eye. Pulling back a plastic cover he eyed the garment buried underneath for a moment and after turning his head to ensure the older boy was still sound asleep, he swiftly pulled it out. His eyes drifted over the piece, trying to identify in the indistinct light of the room its purpose when it hit him and --then his eyes widened in recognition.

_Oh--Fuck me!_

………………………………….

Seungcheol wakes up to sunlight streaming through the open window, a cool breeze on his chest prickling the skin. He could hear soft breathing right beside him, the weight of a smaller compact body against his own, and realized that he was sleeping next to someone and that they were close and slotted together sweetly.

Jihoon is still there and wide awake and when their eyes meet, Seungcheol whimpers, because it's the most beautiful image he has ever seen in his life. The smaller boy is pressed flush against his side, back resting in the crook of Seungcheol’s arm and a small hand tracing along his shirtless collar.

“Hey beautiful” He said groggily at the younger boy, there was a sleepless husk in his voice, and Seungcheol shivered in the cold morning light.

"Good morning" Jihoon tells him, and he's smiling considerately, pleased, nuzzling closer against his chest and pressing a kiss against his shoulder, which gets him a surprised, pleased noise from Seungcheol.

“Oh _god_ … **shit** …..I fell asleep!” He said, suddenly startled. Jihoon giggled next to him as he took in the startled shift of his expression "I can’t **believe** I did that" he said and resolutely didn't blush at the way his voice cracked with embarrassment.

“Shhhhhh….quiet… we have _company!_ ” Jihoon said, eyes briefly darting downwards.

“Huh?” Seungcheol asked confused, looking around the room for an intruder before catching on and looking down at his aching crotch, the tenting obvious through his boxers and a painful reminder he fell asleep unfulfilled last night. “Oh…. _Wood morning_ Seungcheol Junior” He said, lifting up the waistband of his boxers to peek at his rousing erection “Sorry I let you down last night buddy…won’t happen again!” He said, the elastic snapping against his abdomen as he released the waistband.

“I don’t think you can say good morning to your boner Cheol- Because I think Seungcheol Junior was awake _all night_ …..he didn’t get a wink of sleep” Jihoon teased gently cheek resting just below Seungcheol’s collar, skilful fingers smoothing from the dip of his throat down to his navel and back again.

“Really? Well, what do you expect…..he can’t wink…he’s only got one eye!” Seungcheol joked.

Jihoon huffed with laughter at that, patting Seungcheol’s chest fondly.

“Mmm..sorry…that’s kinda embarrassing” Seungcheol said sheepishly.

“Hyung-you were so tired….don’t apologize….I was tired too if I’m honest” Jihoon soothed.

“Yeah…..but this whole….’Universe giving me blue balls’ thing you said yesterday is really starting to make sense now, I _never_ fall asleep….never when I’m that horny” Seungcheol said.

“Trust me Cheol….We’re too insignificant for the Universe to give a shit about us…it’s just coincidence” Jihoon replied.

“In a depressing way….that actually makes me feel better about my blue balls” Seungcheol mused.  opening his eyes and tipping his forehead against Jihoon’s as he giggled in response.

Jihoon looked up at him, smiling- still laughing, the noise rich and low, curling around Seungcheol like smoke, the tilt of his lips inviting and intimate and encouraging Seungcheol to dip his head to initiate a kiss.

Jihoon has been waiting for this for longer than he realized, because he melts into the kiss instantly, opens his mouth to reciprocate and giving Seungcheol permission to move forward and faster, to deepen the kiss because every second is gentle, every second is right. Jihoon tilts his head back and Seungcheol kisses his neck, fingers drifting over the fabric of his t-shirt and lifting the hem, skating fingers along the seam of his boxers, across smooth skin.

"Awwww.. **fuckkkk** \--"Seungcheol huffed suddenly, flopping back against the bed.

“Eh…what!?” Jihoon asked, shook by the abrupt withdrawal.

_Fucking UNIVERSE interfering with my bodily functions!_

“I gotta……I’ll be back in a sec” Seungcheol mutters, forcing his heavy limbs to move as he levers himself off the bed and stalks in to the bathroom. “I gotta **piss** like a **race horse** ”

“Thanks for the image…it really wasn’t necessary” Jihoon says to his retreating back.

“Sorry …..I’m hung like one too in case you were wondering” Seungcheol says slyly and Jihoon starts flushing again and tries to will his mind out of conjuring a mental image of how Seungcheol is helpfully describing his anatomy. Not that he even _needed_ help to imagine his girth, Cheol-Jnr had been pressed up against him most of the night.

“How can you even take a piss when you’re that hard?” Jihoon pondered out loud.

“It’s a special talent of mine…..I had to learn fast…I’m always this hard around you!” Seungcheol’s voice echoed against the bathroom tiles.

Jihoon’s mouth creased with amusement and rolled onto his back, propping a pillow behind him when a buzzing to his right hand side alerted him to Seungcheol’s phone on the nightstand.

“Your phone is buzzing Cheol” Jihoon shouted in to him, reaching for Seungcheol’s mobile sitting on the edge of the bedside table.

“It’s probably my alarm…just shut if off” He said, then quickly added “NO WAIT!” just as Jihoon swiped the screen to unlock the phone.

Jihoon glanced at the screen and was taken aback **_"Seungcheol?"_** Jihoon's voice asked, slowly and condescendingly.

“….. _yeah?”_ Seungcheol replied wearily, waiting for the other shoe to drop. There was no way out of explaining what Jihoon had just seen without looking moderately stalkerish.

“Why do you have a picture of me sleeping as your desktop wallpaper?” Jihoon asked drolly.

“…….Uhmmm” Seungcheol’s voice echoed from the bathroom, dripping with hesitation. He was tempted to hide in there a little longer and come up with a good excuse- resolving that he would either stay hidden and die of embarrassment or emerge and Jihoon would suffocate him with a pillow in retaliation, either way he was probably going to end up as a column in the College Newsletter obituaries.

“You…..total…. psycho!!” Jihoon blurted out as he started laughing. “How did you even get this?”

Jihoon’s laughter relaxed him and Seungcheol re-emerged from the bathroom, the tips of his ears burning red “It’s wasn’t that hard…you were sleeping after all”

Jihoon shook his head as he spoke “And you had the wherewithal to threaten gentle Henry for being a creep and here you were… the biggest creep of all”

“Hey…to be fair, I took that photo BEFORE you told me about Henry taking one” Seungcheol supplied helpfully.

Jihoon’s eyes flickered back and forth as he worked out the timeline of events in his head “So….you’re saying you took this photo….on the _second_ day I was here?”

“Uhhhhh” Seungcheol hesitated again on reflection.

“You’re on par with Henry on the weirdness level here Seungcheol-Hyung” Jihoon teased.

“Hey, ok… so I took a photo of you sleeping….you were so _cute_ and I wanted to remember you…but you can’t compare me to him….I do not collect dead birds!” He defended.

“That’s true….you just kidnap people, find out they aren’t mascots and keep them locked up anyway…..that’s much worse!” Jihoon teased. “You’re even a bigger creep than I thought. At least Henry had the gentlemanly decency to wait a week before he photographed me sleeping….you couldn’t even wait two full days!”

“ _Yeah_ ….I don’t know why I thought that piece of information would make me look better” Seungcheol mused. “So…you’re.. ..not angry? Right? I mean…I’m your boyfriend…I’m _allowed_ to have cute photos of you on my phone…..to help me get through the day and shit”

Jihoon snorted. “All right Cheol, since you’ve done such a good job for the most part explaining this… level of creepiness, I’ll throw you a bone.” It was a mercy throw, the kind of lifeline a guy gave to a friend and Seungcheol was ready to seize it eagerly but Jihoon’s head tilted slightly as he finished and when he spoke next, all trace of the confident drawl had evaporated, replaced again by a teasing lilt Seungcheol was all too familiar with.

“Since we _are_ boyfriend’s ….I think it’s only fair…..If you get a picture of me on your wallpaper…..I should get a picture of you”

Seungcheol beamed in response. “Sure!….No problem…knock yourself out. Do I have to be sleeping for it?” he asked, preparing to pose as necessary.

“No, actually I already have a photo in mind” Jihoon said admittedly, watching the other boy intently. “I want you to wear the ‘outfit’ you have hidden in your wardrobe” he said, raising one eyebrow.

Seungcheol’s brows creased in confusion for a moment, brain processing the request-then his eyes widened in realization. “NOOOOO” he cried.

“YESSSS!”

“Fuck….you found my Sailor Moon costume?” Seungcheol gasped.

“Uh huh……and I want a photo of you wearing it” Jihoon cooed, brandishing his phone and just from his voice pattern Seungcheol _knows_ he's planned this out.

“But it’s small Jihoonie…I’ve bulked out a lot since first year and it was small on me then! It won’t look good…..I have other Halloween outfits I could wear! I dressed as a police officer once, wouldn’t you prefer a photo of me wearing that” he explained, desperately trying to piece together more excuses.

“Police uniforms are not cute Cheol-They’re _hot_ …….I want a cute photo…..I want the dress” Jihoon spoke calmly, unwavering.

Seungcheol glanced over to the wardrobe, back to his boyfriend and then sighed heavily “Okay” he said, head dropping as he moved over to the other end of the room and pulled out the dress stuffed into the back corner of the closet. He moves over to the bathroom to change when Jihoon stops him with a pillow aimed precisely at his head.

“Where do you think you’re going Hyung?” Jihoon asked “I want you to put it on _here_ …in front of me….or are you suddenly shy?”

“No….I just….” Seungcheol falters for an excuse but relents, not that it matters at this stage, he’s half naked anyway and he’s not getting any more naked-he’s just putting clothes on-clothes that are 4 sizes too small and a million shades too girly for him- but his modesty is increasing nonetheless.

Seungcheol is silent as Jihoon crawls back on the bed, piles pillows against the headboard and settles down to watch the show.

He unzips the dress and lifts one leg after the other, stepping into it. It’s narrow around the waist, obviously fitted for petite female cosplayers and so when he tries to hike it up it catches around his hips, he struggles to shimmy it up around the waistband of his boxers and tugs hard until he hears a small rip.

“Careful-- Scoops!” Jihoon chides “I want a photo first before you rip it!” he says, watching Seungcheol and making him uncomfortable. If Seungcheol had paused to think about it, he would have realized that he was closer to panic here and now than he ever had been with anybody else. Jihoon’s eyes appraising him as he slipped the dress over his shoulders, excited him bordering on frenzy. He turns away from Jihoon, and tugs more gently until it slips over his hips and he pokes one arm through a sleeve and pulls it up his bare shoulder.

"Fighting evil by-- _moonlight_ ….winning love by -- _daylight_ " Seungcheol began to sing the theme tune, really getting into it and his enthusiasm is successful in getting the second arm in, the material stretching tightly across his toned chest and he spares a glance at the boy seated on the bed behind him to ask for some assistance “Zip me up?” he asked coyly, shaking his hips at the younger. Jihoon complied, leaning up on his knees and reaching forward to draw the zipper up his back.

With the task completed, he stepped forward and turned to allow the younger to examine his effort, hands brushing against the polyester material at his hips anxiously, eyes darting around the room, avoiding direct contact from sheer humiliation and dreading the look of horror he was likely expecting from the younger at his unflattering attire.

Most of Jihoon's attention, however, was on Seungcheol -- his heart alternately in his throat or feeling like it was sinking to his dick.

“How do I look?” Seungcheol asked, finally meeting the younger eyes wearily.

“You’re a regular wet dream Cheol" Jihoon answered.

 **Copy + Paste Image:** _Sailor-Moon-Cheol_ into **File: Jihoon-Jerk-Off-Catalogue**

It wasn’t so much the concept of the dress that aroused him, but the tightness of the clothing, stretching over a defined torso and skirting just over nicely muscled thighs. Jihoon groaned low in his throat at the sight, resisting the urge to palm himself, eyes slitting into a thin almond shapes as he surveyed Seungcheol.

Seungcheol’s is fairly surprised at the positive reaction-although he has grown accustomed to this kind of attention in college. Before his leanings suddenly skewed toward cute guys he abducted, when he went out to clubs and parties with his friends or the other frat members, there was _always_ somebody checking him out. A lot of times it would be other guys who would look at him a _little_ too long —he was never wearing a dress then but he would catch the odd appraising glimpse or drawn out gaze and he allowed it because he convinced himself that he was confident enough with his sexuality to remain unfazed by such attention. A small part of him liked it. And _still_ liked it, if his reaction to Jihoon’s reaction was anything to go by.

“Wet dream huh?” Seungcheol grinned at the high praise, moving closer to the bed “Is it the dress that’s doing it for you or….”

“It’s not the dress Cheol” Jihoon said flatly “…….it’s **you** ”

He didn't blink once as he said it. Nor waste another minute as he clutched Seungcheol’s shoulder and smashed their lips together so roughly it was almost painful. _Was_ painful until Seungcheol slipped a hand behind his back, tilted his head and slid the kiss into something sweeter but no less electric, hand slipping underneath Jihoon’s chin.

“Don’t you have a picture to take?” Seungcheol said, pulling back quickly, remembering why he had consented to this in the first place and knowing full well the dress would end up in shreds at the foot of his bed in the next five minutes.

“Uhh….fuck… yeah…..” Jihoon scrambled for his phone, hands trembling as he opened up the camera application and held the device up. “Do something cute…..pose for me bitch”

Seungcheol huffed in disbelieving laughter at Jihoon’s taunt but conceding and pulling an iconic Sailor Moon stance as Jihoon snapped one photo, then shut the application and carelessly shoved his phone to the side.

He grabbed the dress by its ridiculously oversized red bow and dragged Seungcheol closer again into a searing kiss, sliding their tongues together, grabbing the back of Seungcheol's neck and pulling him closer still, a challenge and a promise of what was to follow.

Jihoon snaked his hands around Seungcheol’s broad back, fingers feeling for the edge of the metal zip and once he clasped it, he wasted no time in pulling it down and Seungcheol ripped the sleeves and collar off in frustration. And that shouldn't be so hot, because hey, that was a nice dress but ripping it off Seungcheol was _infinitely_ better.

Jihoon slides his hand from behind Seungcheol’s head, down the front of his chest with a brief stop to tweak a nipple into sensitivity making the older boy moan in his throat as he moved to push Jihoon roughly down against the mattress. Their erections jostling together as toned thighs bracketed slender hips and strong hands pinned down small wrists as laughter bubbled between them.

Seungcheol could feel Jihoon's hardness through his boxers, rubbing against his upper thigh and he groaned, because this too was new and exciting. Seungcheol's fingertips ventured below the waist of Jihoon’s boxers and stroked against his hip just as the younger starts kissing his neck, sucking at his skin and doing maddening things with his tongue and lips to the sensitive spot behind his ear. Seungcheol whines when Jihoon reaches up further, to nibble at his earlobe and swirl his tongue provocatively around his piercing and when he draws it completely into his mouth and hums around the steel- that's when Seungcheol loses all cognitive skills and let's his head fall forward, giving Jihoon better access.

He allows Jihoon to tease him for a few moments, pulling out whimpered responses to the assault on his ear lobe and neck before pulling his head back. Gripping the edge of Jihoon’s t-shirt and smoothly pulling it off his head, his hands found purchase on lean hips and pressed the smaller boy against the bed as he leans down to respond with his own sensual assault. And of course Jihoon takes it, shudders and gasps, muscles jumping beneath Seungcheol’s touch as lips descend on the creamy skin of his chest.

Then Seungcheol is planting one knee between Jihoon's thighs and kissing him, needy and shameless "Tell me if this is moving too fast for you" Seungcheol says, and lets his thigh grind up between Jihoon's legs in one leisurely, nerve-melting rub.

“Tell me to stop and I will stop……I _can_ stop” Seungcheol said again, darker this time, and Jihoon saw how badly he wanted an answer.

“Cheol….I was ready for you last night…..you’re the one who fell asleep…remember?” Jihoon reminded him gently.

“Oh…..yeah….but…..Excuse me while I introduce myself to Jihoon Junior” It takes Jihoon a second to place what Seungcheol is talking about, probably because he’s focused on how Seungcheol now had his wrists pinned to his chest as he travels down Jihoon’s body, breathing warm air across his navel. "Does Jihoon Jnr want to come out -" Seungcheol takes that moment to nose around Jihoon's erection through the thin fabric -- "and _play_?"

_Jesus, he’s chatting with my dick…..and its replying!_

Jihoon thought, and he shuddered when Seungcheol worked his free hand to grapple with Jihoon’s boxers, tugging them down one hip and then struggling to get the rest of it off. Jihoon tried to make it difficult for him, wriggling his hips and tugging on his wrists because Seungcheol had to work for it if he was going to be such a frustrating fucking tease— but then Seungcheol mouthed his cock through the material, all open mouthed and wet with teasing pinpricks of teeth and Jihoon moaned, deep and indecent.

When he heard himself he was embarrassed. He thought about the open windows and Seungcheol’s curious housemates. Then he could think of anything at all, because his hips had somehow tilted upwards without his permission, his boxers were pooled around his thighs, and Seungcheol’s sinful lips were wrapping around the head of his cock and sucking on him greedily.

Seungcheol flutters his eyes shut as he pulls back so his tongue traces over the head, dipping into the slit and smearing some of the fluid around and Jihoon shudders. Fisting his fingers in velvety locks, Jihoon tried to thrust up into that hot, taunting mouth, needing more heat, more friction, more pressure, more anything. But Seungcheol’s big hands held him down by the hips, thumbs pressing into the sensitive, strangely ticklish points of his pelvic bone and adding to the overall sensory overload.

“Cheol _...ffuckk_.” Jihoon moans, spreading his legs wider. “I….I don’t think I can—”

It was no longer a case of finesse or seduction and Jihoon didn't care what the fuck it was- because what it had become was amazingly good, with Seungcheol's liquid eyes fixed on him, yearning, primal and feral underneath the gloss. Jihoon whined and tried to bury his face into the side of his outstretched arm, but Seungcheol stopped him, a hand reaching up to turn his head back around, making him watch.

“You’re so far on baby….I wanted to play with Jihoon Jnr a little longer but it looks like I’m going to have to skip to the next step already” Seungcheol says.

"What?" Jihoon says just as Seungcheol’s other hand shifted to his hip, urging Jihoon to part his legs and he positioned him by pushing his knees up against his chest, parting his legs further as shoulders bumped against the back of his thighs.

Jihoon couldn’t see a damn thing like this, could only feel Seungcheol and hear the bedsheets rustle as he shuffled- so he jumped a little when Seungcheol’s warm breath tickled the skin along his ass "Oh fuck!" he moans as Seungcheol slides his fingers down his ass to stroke the puckered opening, light and teasing before he holds Jihoon open, breathes warm air across his flesh and then drags the flat of his tongue against Jihoon's hole, licks him so delicately that Jihoon makes a noise high in his throat.

 _"Ooo—ffuuckk…chheol"_ and then -oh fuck indeed- Seungcheol’s mouth was on him, kissing penetrative and lewd, tongue flicking against his hole, fluttering along the rim for one long, shudder-inducing moment before sliding it in. And just like that- Jihoon _howled_ \--howled out his pleasure and tossed his head back as his spine _liquefied._

“Hmm….*slurp*…You okay?” Seungcheol asks. “Hmmm …*slurp*…Jihoonie?” Alarm flairs up—just a fraction, because all of his senses are centered on Jihoon and he’s aware of the vocal response which wasn’t entirely decipherable from his position. So when he pulls back to look up at the younger’s face and see’s it contorted in agonizing pleasure he relaxes again and returns his tongue to the spot between Jihoon’s cheeks.

Seungcheol worked at him for what felt like hours, fucking Jihoon with his tongue so thoroughly that he’s shaking, hand fisting the bedsheets beneath him as he was probed with the swirling appendage until he was dripping and loose and so close to coming that he felt like he was going to die from the intensity.

Just when Jihoon was about reduced to begging, Seungcheol shifted and moved up, tenderly kissing his thighs, making a trail up his hip and stomach and finally ending with a gentle peck on his lips.

“Fuck- you are so perfect Jihoonie…..you’re the _real_ wet dream baby” he growls, then licks the sweat off Jihoon’s throat. Jihoon whimpers and writhes against him, half needy and half trying to escape the tongue he knows has just been channeled up his ass.

Seungcheol left him for a minute, but when he returned there was oil or lube, _something_ slick being probed between Jihoon's legs, and when he looks at Seungcheol, the older boy is completely naked now- cock magnificent and heavy between his legs. Jihoon's first instinct was to clamp his legs together; Cheol-Jnr-was _impressive_ , thick as well as lengthy. His second instinct was to relax and meet Seungcheol’s eyes as he hovered over him, smiling tenderly as he slid one, two- then three fingers in past the ring of muscle- to the last knuckle, opening him up wide.

“Fuck you’re so hot and _wet_...you’re gonna feel so _good_. Are you ready baby?” Seungcheol whispered, slipping his fingers out, one hand stroking up his flank and if Jihoon could’ve managed words in that moment he would have been screaming **‘FUCK YES’**. As it was, he could only nod frantically, and he waited, for the searing pain, the forceful intrusion, the burning stretch. But Seungcheol’s hands were deliberately slow and gentle when he spread Jihoon's legs apart again, pulls his hips up then, hooking one knee over his shoulder and tracing wet fingers down Jihoon’s hip.

One hand moved to grip the base of his shaft and he circled and smoothed the pre-cum pooling over the tip of his cock around the rim of Jihoon’s aching hole. His fingers smeared wetly on Jihoon's hips when he gripped them, lining up the blunt head of his dick against Jihoon’s pink hole, pressing inside and finally breaching him-slow and steady and perfect.

Despite the prep, Jihoon winced, gulping in air as his rectal muscles flexed and fought against the burn of Seungcheol’s cock stretching him, the pain just right side of pleasure.

Seungcheol jerks his hips forward skillfully, until he’s firmly fitted inside Jihoon, hole stretched tight around him, hips moving in short, involuntary thrusts. Jihoon shakes with every move, so responsive to the pressure building in his lower body. He stayed still like that until Jihoon calmed and loosened around him and then he sat back up, pulling out half way before pushing back in, slow like syrup.

Jihoon whines audibly as Seungcheol thrusts shallowly into him but Seungcheol is testing the bounds of his own control. The desire to fuck into that warm heat is there biting on the surface of his patience, pressing at him insistently, but he shoves it away and concentrates on taking it slow for the sake of the lesser experienced boy writhing beneath him. Seungcheol maintained the set tempo of his thrusts, keeping them calm and shallow, letting Jihoon catch his breath.

He was slow and methodical as he penetrated him, showering the younger with kisses and whispers of praise “You feel so good Jihoonie…better than I ever imagined…so _perfect_ ” Seungcheol told him, hands tightening on his hips even as he kept the slow press of his cock steady, building the rhythm so deliberately that it almost took Jihoon by surprise at how quickly it amped up again, orgasm almost within reach.

Jihoon was losing his ability to think straight. His entire world was narrowing to the grip of Seungcheol’s cock inside him. He wanted to tell Seungcheol how thick he was, how amazing he felt, how gorgeous and sexy and right he was, but all that came out was a stifled, " _Cheol._ "

“Cheol-- **please** ” Jihoon pleads obscenely, clutching blindly at Seungcheol’s back. Seungcheol smiles against his neck, bites down softly because he knows exactly what Jihoon is begging for and wants nothing more than to deliver it to him.

"I know baby…shhhhh" Seungcheol said, and set out to accomplish just that, rocking his hips up and down-in and out, fucking Jihoon with a tightly controlled rhythm that made him rebound off the bed, his ass bouncing back down every time Seungcheol pulled almost all the way out, and shoved back in again with increased force.

Falling into the rhythm, Jihoon fucked back against Seungcheol shamelessly. He was sucking in air, chocking on it one heady breath after another; clutching on Seungcheol’s shoulders for balance. Then Seungcheol twisted around and found an even better angle, corkscrewing in and Jihoon saw white at the borders of his vision.

_Fuck- Seungcheol is strong!_

_Fuck- how is he keeping this pace up?_

_Fuck- he’s so thick!_

Jihoon’s brain informed him as Seungcheol practically crowded him against the headboard, pushing his shoulders against the stained wood while he fucked Jihoon out of his mind. His body burned even more feverishly now, and those sounds filling the room, they weren't just him anymore. Seungcheol was groaning wantonly too, husky, and spent.

Seungcheol draped himself over Jihoon, so much skin touching, warm and slick- Jihoon’s cock, red, wet and bobbing between them. He pressed kisses to Jihoon’s lips and cheeks, murmuring things indecipherable to Jihoon’s ears but fond sounding all the same.

“Fuck-so tight—so g—ood hoonie-!” Seungcheol says, his voice a low growl. He finds a rhythm in this position, slower and deep, aimed right where Jihoon will feel it most. And when Seungcheol thrusts in hard again this time he rams against Jihoon’s prostate.

 **“FU—CK….UHH”** Jihoon screams. As Seungcheol’s thrusts grew more urgent, Jihoon started making startled cries that sounded like equal parts pleasure, pain, and surprise at how good both felt as the older boy's cock brushed and over-stimulated the sweet spot inside again and again.

“You’re so-- **_hot_**. Hot and -- ** _tight_**.” Seungcheol nipped at Jihoon’s neck, murmured in his ear.

“I’m going to fuck you until you can’t move, can’t-- sit again baby without remembering what I feel like”

"Yeah— _Fuck!_ — ** _Cheol!_** " Jihoon breathed, grinding down, palm resting on Seungcheol's sweaty chest his eyes squeezed shut.

"You gonna come?" Seungcheol murmured, the tight feeling inside him threatening to explode intensified with Jihoon’s desperate please. So he fumbles one hand down from Jihoon's hip to his aching cock and Jihoon’s so sensitive now even the faintest of touches make him moan, so a devastated sound poured out of him as Seungcheol wrapped warm fingers around his cock firmly, enveloping the slick tip in one wet slide.

"I know you’re gonna be -- _so pretty_ \--when you come for me baby—come for daddy" he said stroking Jihoon’s cock once, twice before Jihoon moaned his name loudly and finally came, spurting hot white ropes over Seungcheol's hand and across his stomach.

It seemed to last forever, Seungcheol’s hand wringing out every last ounce of pleasure from his body before he finally let go, leaving Jihoon shaking and weak.

Seungcheol was about to come too; he could feel the build in his balls, but watching Jihoon reach euphoria beneath him was the final straw for Seungcheol and he couldn't help but rock harder up into Jihoon's body.

Jihoon gripped his shoulders and kissed him so hard their teeth clicked together, and then Seungcheol was falling off the edge, his pleasure erupted like a series of waves crashing over him, one after the other each growing with force and he buried himself in Jihoon again so hard and deep he felt Jihoon scream in his mouth, his legs interlocking around Seungcheol’s waist in a desperate attempt to stay anchored.

Seungcheol stiffened as his hips jerked, twice and he groaned Jihoon’s name as the smaller boy’s hole spasmed around him. Heat flashed through his body as his balls tightened and he flooded the pliant body surrounding him with thick and hot seed before slumping weakly atop the smaller boy.

……………………………….

Somehow Seungcheol mustered the energy to lever himself up and pull Junior out, a trail of his cum following him out, slipping down the crease in Jihoon’s thigh and he wiped it, tentatively checking Jihoon for any signs of trauma from their most recent activity. Jihoon huffs incredulously at the gesture, even that makes a shiver of pleasure go through him and he pulls on Seungcheol’s hand, bringing it up to his mouth and sucking the slick finger clean. Seungcheol let out a deep groan as he absorbed the sight, Jihoon was flushed, pink hair in utter disarray, eyes bright and lips plump as they slipped off his digit and Seungcheol is certain he has never seen anyone more gorgeous.

Satisfied there was no damage done to his boyfriend, he rolled over unto his side. He pulled a pillow under his head before reaching over to tug Jihoon closer, draping the pliant body over his chest, the smaller boy’s head lolling on his shoulder, lax and yielding, knees on either side of Seungcheol’s.

Jihoon makes a sleepy little sound of protest and nuzzles into the arm underneath his head. He can smell the heady scent of sex in the air, mingled with sweat. Seungcheol’s hair plastered to his head and a knowing euphoric twinkle in his eyes as evidence of their exertions. Seungcheol cuddled Jihoon close, one hand carding through his hair and smoothing down the curve of his spine. It was a long time before either of them spoke.

 

……………………………………………………………………….

“Are you ok baby?” Seungcheol asks after some contemplative silence descends between them.

Jihoon nods, reaching forward and running a hand through Seungcheol's hair. He carefully positions himself on the bed, lying next to Seungcheol and the older boy helps him shift under the covers, watching him silently as he settles.

“You’re so pretty when you come Jihoonie…..I’m mean, you’re beautiful all the time…but when you come…it’s something else” Seungcheol said.

“Really?” Jihoon asked incredulous “Are you sure I don’t look like this?” He said, scrunching up his features absurdly in what he thinks best mimics his orgasm face.

“Nope….but I’m pretty sure that looks like your constipation face” Seungcheol said.

“Isn’t that the same thing…technically?” he rasped and Seungcheol laughed, low and throaty. That laugh, it did things to Jihoon, made him whine and duck his head lower under the covers. But Seungcheol was having none of it and pushed the comforter down to look at him.

“How’s the universe treating you now?” Jihoon asked lazily.

Seungcheol shuffles over, closer to him and he threads their fingers together under the pillows and closes his eyes. “Like Sailor Moon….fucking amazing”

Jihoon smiles, his phone buzzes from somewhere to the side and he ignores the twinge in his backside as he reaches for it, sliding it open to check the message he received.

“Who is it….is it the universe again? Caught a break but it didn’t wait around for long”

Jihoon barks with laughter as he taps open the message “It’s Seungkwan actually….he’s asking how the date went”

“Hmm….alright” Seungcheol hummed, drawing Jihoon in again and turning him so he can press himself against his back, his teeth scraping over the nape of the younger boy’s neck.

“What did you tell him?” Seungcheol asked, nuzzling into the back of Jihoon’s head.

“I didn’t tell him anything…. I Just sent him a picture” Jihoon says finally, rolling over again so he's facing Seungcheol.

Seungcheol swallowed hard, talking to keep himself calm “Oh god……What picture did you send him?”

……………………………………………………….

“Oh my god…….oh my god” Seungkwan repeated, starring at the photo Jihoon had just sent him in shock and awe.

“What is it?” Jeonghan said looking up from his book.

“Wow……I’m… speechless” he replied simply.

Jeonghan and Joshua moved around to peer over his shoulder at the image on his phone.

“Wow…that’s adorable………those flowers are beautiful”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is brought to you by  
> 1)SMUT! FINALLY....just ten chapters in....I should probably change my story summary from "just trying to get to smut asap" to "don't expect any fucking smut for the first ten chapters folks-good night and goodluck!"  
> 2) Cosplay, never done it-but it looks like fun. I have no idea who I would dress up as to be honest. I'm sure sailor moon has been done to death!  
> 3) Seungcheol's Aegyo....I know everyone waxes lyrical about Jihoon's and he manages it without even trying most times but Seungcheol's aegyo has a special place in my heart. Bless his soul! And his DIMPLES!  
> 4) Sailor moon obviously......classic.  
> 5) Hoshi's paranoia....let it go bro!  
> 6) Being so tired you just fall asleep anywhere.....this has only happened to be a handful of times but I've need told it's hilarious. I haven't been to school in YEARS and apparently I still shout out "NO I DON'T WANNA GO TO SCHOOL" and scream in peopls ears....which is weird cause I'm such a chill person.


	11. Call me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Showers, Verkwan if you squint and a lovely telephone call.

 

Seungcheol is already in the shower when Jihoon is awakened by a shaft of light from the sunrise shining across the top portion of his face and directly into his eyes. As soon as he opens his eyes, he's blinded by it. It’s very tempting to just drag the pillow over his face and go back to sleep and wake at a more civilized hour but he has already missed an entire Thursday afternoon worth of lectures as a result of their' extra-curricular' activities yesterday and he hardly wants to develop a record of absenteeism on his third full week of College. He knows Seungcheol is going to be away this weekend for the first away game of the College Basketball season and so he can catch up with his work without any ‘distractions’ so he has allowed himself some leeway on missing a few lectures and if he was really thinking about it, the pain in his lower half would have been unbearable sitting on those cold, hard, music hall benches.

A thick, steady cloud of steam is drifting out through the cracked bathroom door and he can just make out Seungcheol singing his own version of Right said Fred’s- I’m to sexy for my-‘shower’ over the steady rush of water. And if that’s not the _gayest_ thing he’s heard all week and that’s including what they were doing yesterday!

He stretches his arms above his head and moves to roll out from under the covers but a twinge in his lower back stalls him for a moment, he stiffens and reaches behind to massage the area briefly. He wonders how long the discomfort will last but realizes it’s expected and not exactly painful enough to be a deterrent, before trying to get dressed.

He hasn’t needed help dressing himself in years but _apparently_ today, the simple task of pulling on his boxers became more complicated than he'd previously thought; he managed to get one foot through a hole before a twinge shot through his lower back and he hopped, stumbled, and landed hard on his ass. Not exactly the best action when you were still recovering from a serious bumming from the previous day. He winced and rolled onto his side, tugging them on lazily in an effort to be more decent before lying prone on the floor for a bit, his eyes screwed shut.

“Good morn…..What are you doing on the floor Jihoonie?” Seungcheol asks, hesitating in the doorway as he takes in the sight of his boyfriend lying motionless on the floor.

“I’m practicing for death” Jihoon says loftily.

Seungcheol crouches down to hover over him, hands on either side of his head, hair dripping water all over Jihoon’s face as he leans down and buries his nose in Jihoon's hair “I’ll practice mourning for you then……..WHY GOD WHY!? HE WAS SO YOUNG! AND VIOLENT!”

Jihoon chuckled lightly, eyes still closed but he could feel the condensation rolling off the older boy’s chest against his skin and he cracked one eye open to look up and was rewarded with a cheeky grin from a fresh-faced and unbearably handsome Seungcheol and some of the nicest post-shower imagery his eyes have ever witnessed. “Cheol….My butt hurts…..” he confesses.

“Yeah? I’m sorry but… not sorry too…..I was expecting that” Seungcheol admits, leaning his head down further to flick his damp hair across Jihoon’s forehead.

Seungcheol looks down at him, smiling with warm-obsidian eyes, and Jihoon reaches out to trace the slope of his nose. “I know, but I thought ….you know …..you _prepared_ me so well” he says using his forearm to shield his face from spashes of water.

“So did I but….I was expecting some discomfort. It _was_ your first time…..it was always going to hurt Jihoonie…and it’s probably gonna hurt after the next time too and the time after that….the article I read said that it can hurt after every-time even with good preparation” He said, pressing a kiss to Jihoon’s forehead.

“Article?” Jihoon asked skeptical.

“Uhh…yeah I researched it” Seungcheol admitted, grinning openly.

About ten thousand different responses shift through Jihoon’s brain and he jerks back, stunned “You _researched_ buttsex? Why am I surprised by this….it’s a classic Seungcheol behaviourism”

“Well I didn’t want to do anything that would hurt you….I wanted to make sure I did it right. I’ve never done it with a guy before….I wanted some insight. It was a very informative article…..I read a whole pile of them actually….I’ll send them to you if you like!” he says very seriously.

“Hehe..it’s ok…..you’re sweet Cheol….researching buttsex for me, somehow I think only _you_ can make that come off as cute”

“I watched a whole tonne of video’s as well…..ya know, to get the ‘practical aspects’ down” That truth earned him a light slap on the shoulder from Jihoon. “Hey! I did it for science!”

Jihoon makes an unconvinced humming sound “There was this one video…..they were in a shower and…..maybe I can show you?” Seungcheol suggests, tilting his head towards the bathroom.

“Omo….Don’t you have packing to do Cheol!” Jihoon reminded him gently, pushing at his shoulders to stand.

“Ughh…yeah!” Seungcheol huffed moving to stand up and gripping the towel around his waist to secure it as he helped Jihoon of the floor. “First game of the season and we’re playing away….I hate away games.”

“What’s the difference? I mean…does it matter that you’re playing off campus?”

“Yeah, a little, I always think we don’t play as effectively. You don’t get the same support from the home crowd. It can make all the difference ya know having the home side cheer for you, it’s really motivating” Seungcheol said reaching for another towel to dry his hair and shoulders. “I can’t wait for our first Home game”

“Why’s that? So that you have more opportunities to show off?” Jihoon taunted.

“Exactly! And also… because then you can watch me……and cheer for me” He said with a wink, unzipping his large duffle bag and shoving a pile of clothes into it with no apparent order or organization displayed. Jihoon’s pretty sure Seungcheol just shoved a stapler and an empty pepsi can in there.

“I’ll watch…..but cheer…..hmm..that’s not my style Cheol” Jihoon said, sitting back down on the bed, legs crossed.

“Aww c’mon. Are you saying you won’t cheer for your own boyfriend? You’d make such a cute cheerleader, jumping around in the bleachers chanting GO TEAM! GO CHEOL with your pink cheerleading pom-poms!” Seungcheol mimicked enthusiastically.

“I don’t _have_ pink cheerleading pom-poms” Jihoon said quickly.

“With the pink pom-pom’s _I’m going to buy you_ …….that will match you’re little…cheerleading outfit” Seungcheol said looking up dreamily.

“No! I hate cheerleaders” Jihoon said, gritting his teeth and looking away, not before flicking Seungcheol’s ear for good measure.

“Why not, you’d look so cute” he said dozily, abandoning his packing and moving over to open his laptop. “Dancing around, chanting -Give me an S! Give me an E, Give me a U, Give me a-“

“Your name is hella long to spell out Cheol! How long do these matches last?” Jihoon snapped.

Seungcheol doesn’t answer as he bends over his desk to type something on his laptop.

A snort. "What are you doing Seungcheol….shouldn’t you be packing?" Jihoon reminds him again.

"Nothing!" The answer was too quick, to vehement. Jihoon sits up on his knees to perch over Seungcheol’s bare shoulder and can see that the older boy has typed “Cheerleader uniforms” into his search engine and is currently perusing the sizes on the drop down menu of an ordering site. “Oh my god…what are you doi…Size 14 years! Cheol! You jackass! I’m not wearing a kids cheerleading outfit!” Jihoon snapped.

“What… you’re small-ish! And I’m not saying you need a kids size I just think it would look fucking hot if it was extra tight on you” Seungcheol tries again.

“You’re unbelievable! **Buy me cheer outfit and die!** Stop shopping online you creep and finish packing!” Jihoon said, pulling down the laptop cover and ceasing Seungcheol’s efforts in procuring him a cheer kit, essentially slamming the door shut on whatever fantasy his perverted mind was concocting.

“I’ve finished packing” He said, gesturing to the half empty and highly disorganized bag on his dresser “Besides- I’m only going away for the weekend, it’s not like I need to pack much” he explained trying to lift his laptop cover again but the weight of Jihoon’s hand on the cover prevented him from doing so.

“No… **No cheer kit Cheol**. Don’t you dare buy me one I swear to god you will be coughing out those pom-poms for a week” Jihoon berated, pointing his finger threateningly.

“I’m not going to buy anything….I’m just ....doing some research” Seungcheol said chortling.

“For science right?” Jihoon said sarcastically, lamenting his existence.

“Yes….sexy science”

“Fine, well I am going to shower and you are welcome to join me…. _but_ if you’re too busy researching stuff I’m **never** going to wear….I _guess_ I’ll just shower alone” Jihoon said, distractingly over his shoulder as he sauntered over to the bathroom.

Seungcheol promptly abandoned his laptop to stumble after Jihoon into the bathroom and back into the shower for the next 30 mins to partake in some clumsy frottage, a make out session against slick tiles and to help him soothe his aching rear-end under the hot spray of water.

……………………………………………

When they finally made it out of the shower and Jihoon had smacked Seungcheol a sufficient number of times to goad him into dressing, they only had a short amount of time left to get to the campus before the team bus departed. Jihoon all but dragged him out of the house to speed his departure and agreed to walk him to the campus gym before he met with Seungkwan. Seungcheol stopped to lock the front door and Jihoon walked out ahead of him across the lawn onto the footpath, it was then that he saw a group of boys walking down the pavement towards him and he stepped aside to let them pass.

One of them stopped near him and sniffed the air animatedly “Hmf….do you guys smell that?” he said to nobody in particular “I smell smoke……do you guys smell smoke?” he asked.

“You know what they say….no smoke without….. _fireworks_ ” he said raising his eyebrows suggestively at Jihoon as he spoke. Jihoon considered him for a moment, confusion etched on his face but before he could speak he was tugged backwards. Seungcheol drew him back, defensively tucking him behind him as he walked up straight to said boy’s face and stared him down, menacingly. The group stiffened at his presence, sharing glances cautiously before continuing their journey down the pavement in the opposite direction.

Jihoon frowns and twists around to snap at Seungcheol for hiding him away protectively, only he’s suddenly confronted with the sight of Seungcheol watching the retreating strangers, eyes dark, mouth tight and frowning so hard a muscle in his jaw jumps. He’s never seen Seungcheol this **chilling** before, and Jihoon tightens his hand on Seungcheol’s shirt and tilts his head up, heart racing at the seething anger on his features and the reverberation of Seungcheol’s growling in his chest.

“Cheol…..what the fuck…..you’re scaring me” Jihoon murmured, tugging at the elders hand gently once the group of boys were out of earshot. “What’s up…who are they!?”

Seungcheol's frown dropped suddenly and he smiled down at him. The 180 degree change in his behaviour had Jihoon swallowing on a lump forming in his throat. Had he not known Seungcheol, a look such as that would have normally had him fleeing in the opposite direction as well. He was somewhat thankful he’d never managed to piss the older boy off enough to receive the displeasure. It was frankly startling to realize despite their rapidly maturing relationship, Seungcheol was still somewhat of a mystery to him, he held himself with a confidence he couldn't decipher, spoke an unspeakable language Jihoon couldn’t replicate without making a fool of himself.

“Hmm?….Sorry…don’t be scared baby. It’s nothing, Let’s go, we’re gonna be late” he assured, picking up his duffel bag and tugging Jihoon’s arm as he walked towards the campus.

………………………………………………..

When they arrived outside the College Gym, the bus was parked outside and the majority of the players were packing their luggage into the lower deck compartment and filing in steadily. Mingyu was standing nearby, off to the side and waved them over, a neck-pillow- he no doubt planned to use for the journey, tucked under his arm.

“So you made it Cheol-Hyung, and here I thought **I** would have the pleasure of telling the coach that the team captain was forfeiting the match to enjoy a second shower session with his boyfriend” He teased. Jihoon flushed visibly, he chews his lip and focuses intently on an oil stain on the ground.

“Aww..look…he’s shy!” Mingyu said, startled “Isn’t that sweet, he wasn’t so shy yesterday when he was _screaming_ the house down!”

“Oh my god….” Jihoon huffed, face heating even further. He _had_ been trying to restrain his vocal efforts last night but obviously had failed miserably.

“Leave him alone Mingyu-I take it as a personal achievement that I managed to make him that happy-don’t go making him second guess himself!” Seungcheol said haughtily and Mingyu only chuckled.

“Can we _please_ ….change the topic guys…” Jihoon asked meekly.

“Yeah-sorry, Are you ready for the game?” Seungcheol asked.

“No, I haven’t been practicing as much as you, But then again I’m not in the starting line-up. I’m just warming the bench this season it seems” Mingyu said, disappointment in his voice.

“You’ll get your shot Min, It’s not about who’s in the starting line-up, it’s who has the strength to finish the game” Seungcheol says comfortingly.

Jihoon tries to keep up with the game centred talk as the two other boys converse, but found himself swiftly lost as they discussed defensive match-ups and substitution patterns and when they switched to discussing man-to-man, half-court and zone defences he was starting to wonder if he should be worried about where Seungcheol was _actually_ headed to. All this talk of 'defensive Strategies'-Was he going to play a college basketball game in another city or was he being deployed to fight in some war?

Soon they were called over by the coach to board the bus and Seungcheol leaned down to kiss him tenderly on the lips “Bye baby, don’t go outside too late at night, remember to lock you dorm room before you sleep and don’t let any strangers—“

Mingyu interrupted his possessive ramblings before Jihoon had a chance to intervene “Seriously Cheol-Hyung? You’re going to be away for two nights at the most! I’m sure Jihoon can take care of himself just fine till you get back, surely he had to do it before he met you and he was fine then!” Mingyu goaded.

“He got himself kidnapped!” Seungcheol snapped swiftly.

“Yeah! By you dickhole! I think I’ll probably be safer with you **out** of the city!” Jihoon says irritably, as he smacked the older boy across the chest. But his hit is soft and his voice is low, quiet and it doesn’t quite have the bite he’s going for. Seungcheol reserved his comeback to tug Jihoon closer, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.

“Just be careful Jihoonie” He said softly “I’ll call you later yeah?”

“Okay, Bye Cheol and Good luck” Jihoon replied.

“Take care Jihoonie honey bunny! Remember to say your prayers and brush your teeth!” Mingyu teased over his shoulder as he made his way across to the bus, Seungcheol in tow.

Jihoon waved them away before pulling out his phone to check his message from Seungkwan.

…………………………………………………

“Pssst!”

“Pssstt…hey…..Boo!”

**“PSSSST!”**

**“What are you deaf!?”**

_“What_ is it?” Seungkwan whispered angrily back to Jeonghan, after finally looking up from the book he’s deeply immersed in and glowering over at the disrupting student.

“There is this guy, sitting over there- he keeps looking over here!” Jeonghan undertones, motioning to a spot indirectly behind Seungkwan in the library with a flick of his finger.

“Don’t turn around!” He hisses at Seungkwan when he attempts to rotate and glance behind.

“Why not? Why even tell me about somebody looking over If I can’t look back!” Seungkwan scolds.

“Because I think it’s **you** he keeps looking at dumbass!” Jeonghan taunts and it’s amusing enough for Joshua to glance up from his book to check out the mysterious gawker too. Seungkwan's brow creases as he thinks about who it could possibly be.

“Oh…he’s cute!” Joshua offered nodding. “He kinda….looks familiar” He adds, tilting his head as he regarded the stranger over Seungkwan’s shoulder.

“Do I know him?” Seungkwan asked.

“How _are_ we meant to know if you know him or not?” Jeonghan asked.

“Well….what does he look like?” He asked.

“Hmm………cute?” Joshua offered with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Oh, that’s helpful! You’re so descriptive Joshua, you’re definitely the person I’ll be asking to help with my creative writing class!” Seungkwan mocked and Joshua just rolled his eyes in response.

Seungkwan ignored their curious glances to check his phone “Jihoon just replied to my message, he says he will meet us here, he’s on his way now”

“Oh good. A triple J and S reunion, how nice of Jihoon to finally join us!” Jeonghan said turning back to his work. “I was starting to think we were _too boring_ for him now”

“Don’t be like that Jeonghan-Hyung, Jihoon has been busy with College assignments just like the rest of us” Joshua reproached.

“ **And** busy joining fraternities…. **and** getting kidnapped…. **and** going on dates with guys that kidnap him… **and** coming out of a closet I didn’t even know he was in! Maybe Jeonghan is right….we _must_ seem pretty boring when you manage all that in the first month of college!” Seungkwan pondered.

“I’m still not buying this whole….Seungcheol-Hyung thing” Jeonghan said, shaking his head in disappointment. “I feel like we’ve been here before….not with the gay thing…that’s new….but definitely with the ‘dating out of his league’ thing.”

“Wanna try and reign in the bitchiness Jeonghan?…that’s kinda harsh!” Seungkwan reprimanded him.

“Oh C’mon…..don’t tell me you're buying into this? This is just a repeat of what happened in school! Remember…. _with the cheerleader_! Remember how upset he was?” Jeonghan defended.

“Yeah. And I talked to him about it and he disagreed with me. He is convinced that Seungcheol is… _.different_ ” Seungkwan explained.

“Yeah….different in that he’s a guy. It’s still the same concept….he’s gonna get hurt and close himself off again” Jeonghan tittered.

“Usually I would agree with you Jeonghan, but I spoke to Seungcheol. I warned him and….I’m not convinced he’s all that bad. I mean……he seems pretty genuine. But it’s hard to say cause I don’t know him that well so I’m basing my judgement mostly by what Jihoon has said about him” Seungkwan said uncertainly.

“But does Jihoon know him that well either?” Joshua asked concerned.

“Well….I think it’s safe to say- Jihoon knows him **a lot** more intimately now” Seungkwan whispers raising his brows provocatively.

Joshua drops the book he’s reading and exchanges a confused glance with Jeonghan before he asks “What do you mean boo?”

After an exaggerated glance around, as if he was telling some terrible secret no one in the library was fit to hear, Seungkwan leaned in close. "Do you know that Jihoon hasn’t been back in his dorm room since his date night" he whispered in, across the table at the other two boys.

Joshua pulled back with a suspicious look. "You mean…he slept with him? Are you sure?"

“Where else would he have stayed two nights in a row? Don’t believe me-We can ask him when he arrives” Seungkwan says.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Johsua said. "We shouldn’t ask him personal details like that you guys. It’s not right. If Jihoon likes him and _obviously_ he feels comfortable enough to spend the night with him then shouldn’t we respect his decision and just support him?"

“No” Jeonghan muttered flatly, earning him a disapproving glance from Joshua.

“Shhhh..that guy’s coming over!” Jeonghan hissed before Joshua could berate him further

“What guy?” Seungkwan asked “Heeyyyy-Vernooonnn“ he trailed looking around to see Vernon approaching their desk, making a bee-line for him and he stared at him with an unreadable expression.

“Hi Seungkwan…uhh….you look _well_ …..thank you for remembering my name this time” He teased lightly.

Jeonghan and Joshua exchanged knowing looks, plastering deceptively sweet smiles on their faces.

“ _Off course-_ How could I forget…guy’s you remember Vernon right? He was so sweet to us at the karaoke Mixer at the Sigma-Chi-Tau frat house” Seungkwan says pointedly as Joshua nods his head politely in recognition.

“I remember him being sweet… to you!” Jeonghan said not looking away from his book.

“Ignore him. Vernon…I have something to ask you. It’s a little personal…but I hope it’s not too _presumptuous_ of me or too _eager_ , but I feel like I can ask you this” Seungkwan said beaming up at the other student.

“Uh…yeah…sure you can ask me anything, What do you want to know?” Vernon said, smiling happily.

“Did Jihoon stay over at the frat after his date with Seungcheol-Hyung?” Seungkwan asked sweetly, missing Jeonghan and Joshua slapping a hand simultaneously across their foreheads.

Vernon stood quietly for a moment, his mouth opening and closing like a dying fish, heat rushing across his neck and into his cheeks discernibly. He seems to compose himself then, slowly blinks and then he answers Seungkwan, face now featureless. “Yeah…he did. If that’s everything, I’m going to get back to my studying”

“Ok. Great, thanks for the info, yeah that’s all I needed to know…you can go now!” Seungkwan said cheerily, turning back to his friends.

Across from him, Jeonghan looks like he’s just witnessed a horrific murder and Joshua is busy banging his head against the table as Vernon smiles wordlessly and retreats back to his desk.

"You are…..unbelievable" Joshua mutters, shaking his head. Seungkwan didn't answer at first, taken aback by the cold look aimed at him.

“What? What did I do?” He asked.

“That guy just made an effort to come over to talk to you and what do you do…..you ask him about Jihoon’s sex life!” Joshua stated.

“How can you be that oblivious Boo?” Jeonghan said.

“Oblivious to what?” Seungkwan retorted.

“Shhhhhh here comes Jihoon!” Jeonghan hissed them into silence again as Jihoon rounded the corner.

“Shhhh…I can hear you guys shushing…I know you are talking about me. You are so fucking loud I can hear you think, you’re all so predictable!” Jihoon groaned, dropping his bag on the desk and settling in the empty seat next to Seungkwan. He tries hard not to wince as the smack down into the chair rebounds into his aching lower half.

“ _Actually_ Jihoonie…we were talking about Boo and that guy over there who clearly has a thing for him- but Seungkwan is too thick skulled to notice” Jeonghan pointed out, motioning at where Vernon was seated with a nod of his head.

Jihoon briefly glanced around to see what Jeonghan was referring to “Who? _Vernon?_ **Really?”** He asked.

“Oh my god--are you guys for real--no he doesn’t!” Seungkwan said with a disbelieving huff, turning to quickly check where Vernon had retreated to- the other end of the library, who now had headphones on and was intentionally not paying attention to Seungkwan anymore.

“He’s obviously straight you guys” He said turning back around to face them, an uncomfortable heat crawling up his neck as his face glowed with embarrassment “Just because Jihoon is suddenly peckish for a pecker doesn’t mean the whole world is gay!”.

“Oh my god. You’re blushing Boo…..” Joshua stares at him, wide-eyed. “Don’t tell me -holy shit..”

“We’re not saying the whole world is gay Boo…..Just Jihoon and you” Jeonghan teased.

Seungkwan froths, irrationally hating the pleasant smile on all his friend’s faces. “Oh fuck off…….I like boobies alright….. **love them _actually_** …..can’t get enough of them” he says unconvincingly and rather lamely.

“Keep telling yourself that Boo” Joshua teased looking over the rim of his reading glasses.

“Guy’s c’mon, stop teasing him” Jihoon stepped in “Stop filling his head with fanciful ideas….we all know Vernon is _waaay_ out of his league anyway” he added coolly in a challenging tone- keeping his head forward and ignoring the scathing look Seungkwan shot him.

“Excuse me? Come again?” Seungkwan hissed.

“Hey…relax Seungkwan. I’m on your side Boo, I’m just saying it’s mean for them to suggest that you could ever land a guy as cool as Vernon” Jihoon said, turning to give his best _‘prove me wrong’_ look at his friend.

Seungkwan lays his hand on the table firmly, fingers splayed. “Oh really….you’re saying I couldn’t get a date with him?” Seungkwan demanded to know, shooting back with his best _‘Challenge accepted’_ look and taking the bait Jihoon had set, effectively reeling him in. Jihoon just shrugged his shoulders non-comitally, his throat felt way too tight with contained laughter to continue talking but he’s just thankful that the topic of conversation and teasing wasn’t revolving around him for a change.

“He’s just saying it’s highly unlikely Boo” Jeonghan said, playing along with Jihoon’s teasing “Vernon seems like a guy who appreciates ‘High quality and low maintenance’. Can you really advertise yourself as that? I think you come across more like….’high maintenance and _low quality’_ ” he said contemptuously.

“Low Quality? LOW QUALITY! I’M THE BEST QUALITY!”

 

 

………………………………………………………

When Jihoon returns to his dorm room on Saturday night, he’s spent the better part of Friday evening and Saturday in the library with his friends, catching up with assignments and trying to placate Seungkwan’s foul attitude as a result of their joint effort at taunting him about Vernon.

 Spending your weekend in the library was not what Jihoon envisioned for himself when he applied for college. He was expecting, as most freshman probably do, endless parties and being drunk off his ass, recovering from hangovers well into his Monday afternoon lectures. He also could not have envisioned a number of events that happened in the last month, highest on the list was a complete overhaul of his sexual orientation. Not that there's anything wrong with that, he thinks as he blinks up at the ceiling. Really not at all, especially since he finds himself more comfortable with Seungcheol then he has _ever_ been in or out of a relationship.

He’s expecting a call from Seungcheol at any moment, to update him on the status of his basketball match and curls under the covers of his bedding, relaxing in the relative moment of peace he has been afforded by the absence of his room-mate Henry, who has returned home for the weekend.

He dozes off and jolts awake hours later when his phone buzzes from where it’s lying under his pillow. It’s nearly midnight and had anyone else called at this time to regale him with Basketball match scores, even his own family, Jihoon would have told them to go fuck themselves. But it was Seungcheol, and even though they had parted a mere 24 hours ago, there was very little Jihoon could deny him.

“Hey-Hyung! How are you?” Jihoon mumbled, the sleepy haze gradually fading from his eyes. He blinks a few times, sitting up abruptly as he scrubs a hand over his face.

There was a frustrated sigh. "Hey Jihoonie, sorry I’m calling so late….I didn’t wanna call when I was pissed off”

“How was your match?” He asked hesitantly, seemingly understanding it didn’t go well if Seungcheol was pissed.

“We lost….” He replied sounding defeated and weary.

“Aw.. I’m sorry Cheol….what happened?” Jihoon cooed.

“…Lot’s of stuff went wrong. Our routine was completely off and…” Seungcheol began rambling about basketball strategy and defensive rebounding and Jihoon was promptly lost trying to decipher the technical terminology of it all. He felt almost like he should be taking notes and doing his own research in order to reply effectively but he was sure Seungcheol just needed somebody-detached from that part of his life to listen to him vent after a lousy game.

“I know it’s just the first game of the season, but you want to hit the ground running you know” Seungcheol said, although there was a lack of acceptance in his voice at the result.

“But I’m sure you played amazingly Cheol, it’s probably everyone else’s fault” he supplied thoughtfully, hoping it did something to boost the older boy’s ego.

He could hear Seungcheol’s voice echoing in the background, he may have been in a bathroom or a tiled area, cracking his knuckles one by one. “Yeah, I did, But I’m the captain….the whole teams performance reflects on me and I feel like I’ve let everyone down” his reply is sombre and humble.

“That’s a lot of pressure to put on yourself Cheol. But I guess it’s a team sport and you have to carry the team sometimes in your position” He replies. “What do you think you could have done differently?” he offers tentatively.

Seungcheol then delves in to deeper detail about the game schematics and Jihoon sit back and sighs -content to let him just talk and complain as he pleases. He’d lost Seungcheol to some contemplative reflection about the complexity of the game, but the rough and raspy edge to his voice flitted through the line and slid over Jihoon like a warm blanket, dulling his senses a fraction and he misses his hand drifting down to trace the outline of his dick under his sweats.

Seungcheol clears his throat then midsentence, before continuing to speak and it causes Jihoon to break out of his relaxed stupor briefly, his attention is drawn to what his hand is doing, thumbing the head of his cock under his pants and he retracts his disobeying appendage quickly, alarmed by his distracted nosedive into perversion. He mentally berates himself for being so vulgar and rolls over to his side, pressing his thighs together to dull the gnawing ache between his legs, which only works to increase the pressure in that area, the direct opposite affect of what he intended.

It was a primal reaction, he convinced himself, nothing to be ashamed of. Hearing Seungcheol’s voice over the phone was bound to create a tinge of longing, it was normal…even if he had just seen him yesterday.

_Fuck._

Jihoon shifts to sit up and leans his head back against the headboard and sighs. He really, _really_ shouldn’t be getting turned on by Seungcheol’s voice not...not like this. Not when the older boy has hurt in his voice and is sad about losing a match and wishing to vent his frustrations.

And, anyways, it's still technically the honeymoon period right? It’s completely normal for him to respond this way, right? It's the norm to feel his heart speed up when Seungcheol’s voice grumbles lowly over the line or have his breath catch in his throat whenever he hears Seungcheol chuckle deeply. It’s not like he's trying to focus on the smacking noise Seungcheol's lips make as he licks his lips. And he almost, _almost_ doesn't whine soundlessly and squeaky when Seungcheol calls him baby in every other sentence. He definitely doesn’t have a boner thinking about all of this either.

He looks down at himself and is mortified at his body’s almost Pavlovian response to the older boy’s voice. It doesn’t seem to matter that Seungcheol sounds sad and defeated on the line about their loss, if anything the mellowness in his tone just sounds like pure _ear sex_ to Jihoon.

“………so they taped his ankle and he’s on the sub bench now for the rest of the season. Anyway….I’m sorry I’ve probably bored you to sleep with all this game talk- Jihoonie. Enough about me- how was your day?”

No. His body wasn’t having any of that, he needed Seungcheol’s voice to continue. He _needed_ Seungcheol to keep talking “What? Uhmm…Fine. My day was fine.…keep talking”

“Huh? Just fine….what did you get up to baby?” Seungcheol persisted.

Jihoon winced inwardly at his pathetic deflection strategy, his cock throbbed as he heard his pet name again “Nuthin really. My day was …boring….tell me more about your game”

“Why?......I’ve told you everything there is. Are you ok?” Seungcheol asked concerned, his voice smooth and rich.

“Yeah yeah, I’m fine…..tell me about…your strategy… for next time” Jihoon asked awkwardly, squeezing his thighs together again, anything to lessen the burn.

Seungcheol seemed happy to continue “Oh..well Ok…Actually I was talking to the assistant coach earlier and he said..…….wait……why?” he inquired.

“Uhmm…Just……just… _talk_ about anything Cheol...I just…wanna ..hear your voice” Jihoon pleaded, a tinge of desperation creeping into his request.

There was silence on the line that drew out painfully.

And then

“………Jihoonie-baby…..are you getting turned on by my voice?” Seungcheol asked, and Jihoon could hear, _actually_ hear him smirk.

Jihoon squeezed his eyes shut in embarrassment, clutched the phone tighter and yelped his reply “ ** _no_** ”

A sharp exhale of breath followed and then “You _are_ …..you dirty…. _naughty boy”_

Jihoon worried his lip and murmured “I’m sorry…..I don’t know what's wrong with me”

“No.. **nonono**!….Don’t be sorry….. _oh god no_ ….you’re perfect! You like my voice baby?” Seungcheol soothed.

Jihoon goes breathless as his eyes close and his mouth is suddenly very wet. “Hmmff—ughh--Cheol don’t….I can’t Cheol….I’m embarrassed.” Jihoon admonished.

“Oh please baby!--Make me feel better Jihoonie….I feel like shit…….Are you in your room?” Seungcheol asked, voice dropping below a whisper.

“Uh huh” Jihoon stuttered, palm brushing the bulge in his pants.

“Perfect……you’re alone right? That fucker Henry isn’t there yeah?” He asked jadedly.

“No--he’s gone home for the weekend, but Cheol-“

“Shhshh, it’s ok…..I’ll just talk yeah, let me just _talk_ you through it Jihoonie” he voice was low and seductive. “Just-- touch yourself a little for me baby. I just wanna hear you”

Jihoon moaned lowly and took in a deep breath, applying more pressure with his hand. “Okay….hmmm.”

“Fuck…..and does it feel good baby? Imagine that’s me touching you” Seungcheol’s voice groaned over the line as Jihoon continued his ministrations, running his palm down the front of his sweats slowly.

“Chh..cheol…hmmff” Jihoon hummed.

“So good…..you sound so sweet Jihoonie. Are you touching yourself…directly?” The older boy asked.

“Hmm no….thorough my pants” Jihoon huffed softly

“Hmmm” Seungcheol groaned approvingly “Can you slip your hand inside? Please….touch your pretty cock for me” he whispered and Jihoon found himself complying immediately, his right hand delving beneath the waistband of his bedraggled pants and wrapping around the head of his shaft. He released a sharp hiss followed by a shallow wine as cool fingers curled around his overheated, sensitive flesh.

“Hsss… _ahhhhh_ ” Jihoon gasped, breathing deeply though his nose.

“Oh fuck-Jihoonie, that’s so _hot_ ” Seungcheol commended him “Start working your cock for me gorgeous, can you do that?” he asked.

Jihoon nodded instead of verbally replying and curled his fist up towards the head of his erection,  pre-come leaking from the tip already and sullying the front of his boxers as he began to stroke himself at a leisurely pace. With nothing but pre-come to slicken his grasp, he revelled in the rough feeling of his dry grip, palms scraping his sensitive flesh as he caressed his throbbing member. He didn’t register much of the friction burn after the first few tugs on his cock, soon overwhelming and pulsating feelings of pleasure shot up his spine and made him buck his hips up into his hand slightly.

A cluster of hesitant moans seemed to fall from his lips as he pulled on his shaft, followed by one loud, robust groan that would have definitely served to alert Seungcheol that he was complying with his request.

“Ohh _fuckk_ ” Seungcheol groaned over the line favourably. “Just like that baby, _that’s good_ , keep going, you’re doing so well” His approval urged Jihoon on, inflaming his arousal to the point that he felt that his skin was burning hot-feverish and he was wearing too many clothes to be comfortable as a light sheen of sweat formed on his brow and upper lip.

Tilting his head back against the headboard behind him, his lips parted in a gasp,  _“Uhhhh….yeaahh”_ and his eyes fluttered closed, getting lost in the sound of the pleasurable voice encouraging him, guiding him.

“Just keep it nice and slow baby….loosen your grip and work you cock _nice_ and _slow_ for me” came Seungcheol’s voice again, filling Jihoon’s ears deeply and making him quiver.

Jihoon pulled his hand back briefly, to tug at the head, drawing the foreskin over the tip and releasing it again, then repeating the action “Hmmmm…. _yeah_ ….Cheol-feels …feels…so- _good_ ” Jihoon told him, jerking his hips rhythmically into his grasp.

“Good boy…. _so good_ ” Seungcheol praised “Can you moan for me again baby, please moan for me petal. ....Moan for Daddy.”

“Auhhgg….Fuckkk….uhhhhh” he grunted devotedly.

Jihoon couldn’t pinpoint why exactly his body burned ten degrees hotter following Seungcheol’s plea; maybe it was the use of his pet name-maybe it was the reassuring praise but most likely it was what Seungcheol has just called himself that made Jihoon tremble and gasp, his hand moved faster on his cock as his other hand gripped tighter on his phone casing, fingers blanching white.

“Oh god baby……you sound so fucking _amazing_ ….I can just imagine you now” Seungcheol groaned. “You’re so fucking pretty Jihoonie. When I get back --I’m not going to touch you again. Not until I watch you do this to yourself….I’m going to watch you fuck your own hand first…then I’m going to fuck into you all over again”

Jihoon swallowed his whine down and groaned heavily at the promise.“Cheol…. _ahhhh_ …please…..I need… _ahh_ ”

“ _Shhhhh_ …it’s ok…….keep going --you sound beautiful……don’t come yet…..only come when I tell you baby”

Jihoon whimpered pathetically, writhing on the bed. Bedsheet’s gathering under his knees as he pulled them up closer, cum slipping over his fingers and slicking over his cock as his pleasure coursed through his veins intensely with each slide of his hand, he inched himself closer and closer to completion, steered by the older boy’s voice.

“Go a little faster baby, fuck your fist for me….but don’t hurt yourself….. _so pretty_ …..god I love hearing you” the older boy admired.

“You don’t know what you’re doing to me. I can’t control myself when I hear you like this. I promise Jihoonie, I’m going to make you feel so good. The things I’m going to do to you….when I get back…..I’m going to make you fucking _scream_ ” he grunted. Jihoon’s breath hitched as his brain absorbed the image and the voice sank into his ears.

“You’re going to ride my cock for hours…..I’m not going to let you come. I’m just going to watch you bounce on my dick for hours Jihoonie. You’re going _to love_ every second of it”. Seungcheol tells him. 

He can't think coherently after that - everything is a jumble of sensation with Seungcheol' filthy, filthy promises-and Jihoon swears loudly and pushes into his fist, tightening his grasp harder, fucking into his hand harsher.

“Yes…. _yes_ …..Cheol--- _ahh_ …I want that… _ahhh_ ” His right hand slid smoothly up and down his shaft, almost a blur he was working his cock so quickly now, thumb reflexively swiping over the slit of his head every now and then, spreading more come down the shaft and making his movements slicker, easier and sweeter.

Jihoon was close, so close to release he felt as though he was going to burst any second now but held on, waiting for permission.  

“Please, _oh- god_ , Cheol… _please_!” He begged, nearly worshiping the other boy’s name. “ _Ahhh…..hmmaa…..ple-ease_ cheol….I… _ahhh_ ”

He sure that he's honest-to-god whimpering now and then Seungcheol says “What do you want baby?-Does it feel good Jihoonie?…..tell me what you want?”

“ _Ahh…..fuck…… **fuck**_ …. **C-heol** …..ah….please……I …..wanna come” he pleads.

“Not until I hear you ask for it sweetly baby…..ask for it _real_ sweet” Seungcheol tuts.

“Hmmm..ahh….. **Cheol** ….. _daddy please_ …..please let me come **daddy”**

“ ** _YES_** …. **fuck** ….Go on- come for me baby…. _come for daddy.”_

It was all that Jihoon needed to hear, and he comes so hard, crushing the phone against his ear, body tensing up almost to the point of pain, his hand stilling on his cock, back arching of the bed and head smacking against the wooden headboard behind him; come spilling over his fist and splattering over the front of his t-shirt and bedspread. He could swear that he had called out “Daddy” or  maybe it was “Cheol” when he came- but the jerks of electricity shooting through his nervous system made it almost impossible to think straight as he orgasmed splendidly. He could still hear Seungcheol praising him, whispering terribly sentimental things and telling him how he was a good boy- _daddy’s good boy_ \- and how beautiful he was.

It felt like forever before Jihoon’s orgasmic high receded and he slumped down into a heap; his chest rising and falling with slow, laboured breaths. His senses came back to him slowly, one by one and he glanced around his darkened room in a groggy state. His cock was resting against his t-shirt, now slick, soft and curled, resting in a pool of cooling come. It was Seungcheol’s voice that had snapped him back to reality, the phone had slipped from his hand onto the pillow and he fumbled for it, bringing it back up to his ear again.

“Please Jihoonie…baby…. _please_ …say something…anything…. _I’m so close_ ” Seungcheol pleaded.

He was jerking himself off too. Jihoon kind of knew that already. But now he doesn’t have to strain to hear the unmistakable sound of hand-on-dick, clearly audible in the background of wherever the hell Seungcheol was managing to have this call without being disturbed.

“Cheollie..that was _so_ good” He groaned, wiping a finger across the tip of his softened cock, easing the last drop of come off and bringing it up to his lips. “I can’t wait for you to get back…..I want you to do all those thing you promised me” he said before sucking on his finger loudly.

“Uhhh….did you just….did you taste yourself baby?” Seungcheol asked, voice tense and stuttering.

“Uhmm…Yeahhh” Jihoon drawled his response. Even after masturbating over the phone, somehow he still managed to sound bashful.

And then Seungcheol groans deeply over the line, voice breaking as he curses and grunts out his pleasure as he achieved his own release.

Heavy breathing draws out over the line between them for a few minutes before Seungcheol speaks again.

“Oh shit Jihoonie…..how the fuck am I gonna get this cleaned up? Do you even realize where I just jerked myself off?” Seungcheol moans.

“Oh my god…where?” Jihoon asked.

“I’m in the rival teams trophy room!” He answered.

“Fuuuuccckk!” Jihoon gasped, bursting out into laughter soon after.

“They’ll think I was so hard up on losing I jizzed all over their trophy case in revenge!” Seungcheol mused, lowering his voice conspiringly.

“Well then….get the fuck outta there Cheol! Before somebody catches you!” He urged after his higher brain functions kicked in.

“Yeah, Yeah, I will- in a sec. That was awesome though….you were so hot Jihoonie. Did daddy make you feel good?”

Jihoon is more alert now than before but he can't really find it in him to yell at Seungcheol for that last part, which Seungcheol will, of course, take it to mean that he should call himself "daddy" more often. And the thing is -- Jihoon's not sure he would be wrong to do so.

“Yeah--daddy did” he says, shy. “I feel really…. _guilty_ though Hyung”

“Why?”

“Uh….well….you called because you were upset and I ….was _trying_ to be supportive and comfort you…and instead I got turned on by your voice” Jihoon scolded himself.

“Are you _kidding_? That was easily **the best** post-game pep talk I ever had….I might throw the next match just to have it again!” He admitted without a hint of shame.

“Oh god Cheol….don’t say that” Jihoon said in between snickers “Isn’t that next game you have going to be at home?”

“Yeah……so?” he replied loftily.

“Then you can’t throw it…..you have to win. Especially if I’m going to cheer for you Hyung” Jihoon said, throwing in the towel on the whole cheerleader debate.

“ _Oh yeah?_ You changed your mind about cheering for me baby…can I buy you those pom-poms?” Seungcheol asked, voice edged with excitement.

“Maybe…….”

 

............................

After their call ended, there's a little rearranging, an extremely lazy clean-up before Jihoon slips under the covers again, he’ll have to launder and change his bedsheets in the morning but it was definitely worth it.

He picks up his phone again and thumbs open the browser.

Once upon a time-the idea of ever joining the rank of cheerleading society would have made him balk, especially after the unpleasant experience of being in a one sided relationship with one of them. But here he was, lying awake at 1am on a Sunday morning, browsing through a cheerleaders uniform catalogue and trying to find his size.

The irony therein will never fail to amuse him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is brought to you by  
> 1)The great taste of Charleston Chew!  
> 2)Phone smut.....had to happen. Sorry-not-sorry.  
> 3) Daddy Seungcheol...also had to happen...also sorry-not-sorry-will never be sorry.  
> 4) Poor Vernon.....his day will come!!  
> 5) Angry Seungcheol.....cause he's always so cheery I imagine it's startling when he gets pissed off.....probably kind hawt too!


	12. Halloween Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bus rides, Halloween and....more fireworks.

Seungcheol’s head smacked loudly off the glass window as the bus lurched over a ramp “Fuck!” He nursed his head fleetingly, half asleep and rubbing at the growing ache on the side of his skull.

“You should really invest in a neck pillow Hyung, they’re really worth it for these long Journeys” Mingyu spoke up from the seat next to him, behaving as always- as a walking-talking and ringing endorsement for neck pillows and good posture in general.

“For the last time Mingyu….I’m fine!” Seungcheol huffed, balling up his jacket to act as a makeshift pillow as he slept against the bus window.

“I’m just saying….sleeping in that position, it’s not good for your posture, you’ll cramp your neck!” Mingyu advised.

“ ** _No_** ….sleeping on a bus full stop is not good for your posture, with **or** without a neck pillow. And I’ve already got a cramp in my neck thanks to your non-stop chattering!” Seungcheol complained “Now, if you don’t mind, I was in the middle of a nice dream which I _very much_ would like to get back to”

Mingyu was silent for moment “…….did it involve Jihoon?”

Seungcheol sighed at the youngers inability to take a hint and line up the dots _“Obviously”_

“What where you dreaming about?” Mingyu asked still smiling at Seungcheol like his Hyung is his personal entertainment for the trip.

Seungcheol turned his neck away from its slouched position against the window to peer questionably at his friend “I think it’s a little too explicit for your ears”

“Ha…ok, never mind then. Ya know, we haven’t _really_ talked about it… this recent development with Jihoon much” Mingyu said peering over at his ill-tempered friend.

And….here it is, the sermon Seungcheol's been dreading for weeks. Only it’s Mingyu who’s delivering him from evil and not Wonwoo like he suspected. Mingyu doesn't sound judgmental, though, just interested and maybe a tad concerned.

Seungcheol sighed as he moved to sit up straight, it seems clear he won’t be getting anymore sleep when Mingyu has so many questions “I have a feeling we’re about to start”

“I’m sorry” Mingyu says ruefully “You don’t have to talk about it with me …….I’m just _curious_. I didn’t think you were gay”

“I’m not” Seungcheol responds calmly.

Mingyu seemed to find that answer acceptable. "Oh, okay." For exactly one second before..

“What?” Mingyu yanks his head back around and blinks, stunned. Then a knowing look enters his eyes, and he lowers his voice conspiratorially. “Ok……that doesn’t make any sense, you _are_ having sex right? Unless I was imagining those noises you guys were making the other night?”

“I’m not gay because I don’t find guys attractive…..Just Jihoon” Seungcheol explains.

“So, you’re just gay for him?” Mingyu presses.

“Yeah” Seungcheol confirms. This has easily been the weirdest conversation he’s had with Mingyu and so far he’s not doing a very good job of sounding convincing to the other boy…or perhaps even himself.

“How does …..how does that work?” Mingyu asks dubiously.

“I don’t know Min……honestly. I have no idea….I’ve thought about it a lot….and I can’t explain it. I just feel different around him” Seungcheol ponders openly.

“You act different around him too- well, _more_ different that you have been with other people you dated. He’s mellowed you out…..it’s nice” Mingyu says, patting him on the shoulder.

“And I wasn’t nice before?” Seungcheol shoots him a subduing glare.

Mingyu rolls his eyes “I’m not saying that! It’s just….you seem more….relaxed around him then you have been with some of the girls you dated, maybe it’s cause he’s a guy and….you’re on familiar territory”

“It doesn’t feel like familiar territory at all….it all feels new. I have no idea what I’m doing half…no _most_ of the time actually. I just do what feels comfortable and….he seems to like it. I don’t really have a strategy anymore. When I was dating girls I had to plan all this…shit in advance and it was tiresome. But with Jihoon, it’s….fun. All those things I used to hate doing to progress, I want to do with him”

“Yeah….no offence but I never thought you were a particularly good boyfriend when you were dating girls, you did the bare minimum ….everything else seemed an inconvenience, like when you were dating Yuna.

“Who?” Seungcheol asks.

“Yuna?.....Park Yuna?” Mingyu reminds him.

“Uhhhh”

“That pretty senior who was in Wonwoo’s Physiology class?” Mingyu tries again to jog his memory, a scowl forming on his face.

“Uhhhh”

“She was friends with Sandara” Mingyu informs him.

“Uhhhhhh”

“That other girl you dated. Remember, the cutie you invited to the Christmas Charity ball?!” Mingyu continues.

Seungcheol looks out the window and then back over at his friend “How long ago was this?”

Mingyu’s scowl lightens somewhat when he realizes Seungcheol wasn’t deliberately deflecting, he truly didn’t remember. “Just last year, before we broke off for Summer vacation. You dated her before you broke off with the twins!” But the continued look of confusion on Seungcheol’s face indicates he doesn’t recall even that. “Holy shit -Seungcheol- don’t you remember the twins….I thought you were the luckiest guy on earth…. **two sisters** who **both** agreed to date you at the same time….they were super hot!”

Seungcheol opens his mouth to argue, and then closes it again. He pinches his brow “I don’t…..don’t remember dating twins…….are you sure it wasn’t the same girl …but with different hair or something?”

“Definitely not. They-were-twins…..everyone was talking about it….dude you really don’t remember?” Mingyu asked in disbelief.

“I know I’ve dated a lot of girls….I just don’t remember the small details Min” Seungcheol grumbled.

“Small details? Like their fucking names!?” He hisses at the older boy in frustration. ”Seungcheol-Hyung-Buddy, are you _trying_ to be a characterization of a Jock right now? Cause you’re doing a great job of it”

“Ugh…..alright….but they _must_ have been pretty fucking boring if I can’t remember them” Seungcheol conceded, slumping in his seat. He’s tired and so badly under-slept, that’s probably why he's having trouble stringing memories of these supposed girlfriend’s together. Or maybe they _were_ just really boring.

“You know what Hyung..…this all makes sense” Mingyu says “You’ve just been biding your time till you found the right person. Somebody you are _actually_ interested in…..just so happens you have been dating in the wrong gender” There’s probably some kind of psychology behind this he’s missing, Mingyu wasn't sure, being neither a psychologist or a psychic, but the jigsaw pieces are fitting together more firmly in his head than before. “I hope you don’t forget Jihoon, he’s a nice guy”

“He’s a precious petal…my little knife” Seungcheol murmurs, swiping to unlock his phone. The nickname shouldn’t make sense to Mingyu, but he must know what Seungcheol means, because his face twists up into a fond smile “…..and I’m _not_ going to forget him because he’s _not_ going anywhere” Seungcheol says as he looks distractedly down at the picture of a sleeping Jihoon on his phone, Mingyu follows his gaze.

“Wow……I never thought I would hear that coming from you of all people. You’ve even got him as your background photo, that’s _new_ for you Cheol-Hyung. I don’t think you have _ever_ had any of your girlfriends as you desktop wallpaper before….you never solidified your relationships with them either……or acknowledged their existence outside of your bed” Mingyu says, quirking a very light smile.

“I never wanted to” He said, thoughtfully, still gazing at the photo of Jihoon on his phone. His gaze goes a little deeper “…….guess I _was_ just biding my time”

Mingyu wished he had the courage take a photograph of his Hyung in that moment, so he could remind Seungcheol years down the line of how he was well and truly whipped. “If you could see the look on your face now Cheol…..you’re so smitten with him. Whhhhiippppeddd” he pestered him gently.

Seungcheol just chuckled warmly, sliding his phone shut and resting it on his lap. “I’m ok with that”

…………………………………….

Scoops: **Hey! I’m at practice till 7. Meet me at house after?**

Jihoon: **I’m already here….waiting ;)**

Scoops: **ON MY WAY!**

Jihoon: **LOL!**

“Ugh Cheol-you stink!” Jihoon pawed his sweaty boyfriend away as he tried to hug him close.

“Yup, that’s what you get after you skip showers after two hours of circuits and shooting drills. Smell it Jihoonie…this is the smell of success!” Seungcheol informs him, even as he wipes the back of his hand against his sweaty forehead to push the damp fringe out of his eyes. He sprinted all the way here after practice.

“Ew gross…success stinks…get success away from me” Jihoon said rolling away from the older boy’s grasp to the top of the bed.

“I know….…but I got your message and didn’t want to wait another minute” Seungcheol said, grabbing the smaller boy by the ankle and pulling him closer again to the edge of the bed.

“Well you are _going_ to wait cause you need to shower… **now** …even you can’t make sweaty gym smell attractive”

“Ok, but only if you come with me” Seungcheol negotiated.

“I don’t need to shower Cheol-I showered this morning” Jihoon scooted further up the bed again, away from the offending scent.

Seungcheol peeled off his t-shirt, drenched with sweat and just as he was about to ball it up and toss it in the laundry hamper a wicked look crossed his face and he turned to Jihoon.

“What?………. ** _Don’t you dare!”_** But it was too late, Seungcheol had dragged him to the edge of the bed again and proceeded to drape the smaller boy in his shirt “Ugh… _gross_! Cheol—You—Fucker… no!” Jihoon batted his hands away from where they were pressing the t-shirt against his chest and Seungcheol pulled him up against him, curling his body around Jihoon.

“Ahhh…now you are all sweaty too….looks like you will need to be showering after all!” He cheered, scooping Jihoon up in his arms swiftly and moving towards the bathroom.

“You’re an idiot!” Jihoon goaded.

He let Seungcheol kiss him, though, and peel him out of his clothes. Then, he pushed the older boy into the shower first, taking the brunt of the scolding hot spray. “Fuccckk…it’s hot” Seungcheol winced as he grasped the shower dial to adjust the temperature and when he was satisfied it wouldn’t melt his skin, he pulled Jihoon in under the spray with him.

…………………………..

“We’re having another frat meeting later, making last minute decisions about the Halloween party this Friday” Seungcheol told the smaller boy as he shampooed his hair carefully.

“Hmmm” Jihoon hummed thoughtfully, focused on his task.

“I was wondering…….what are you going to wear?” he asked expectantly. “If you haven’t got a plan yet, I saw this….really cute kitten outfit online and I know where I can get one for you” He said looking down at Jihoon in anticipation.

Jihoon couldn’t bear to turn down Seungcheol’s doe-eyed sensitivity, especially when it was directed at him with dimples to match. But the thing is… he _had_ a surprise planned and it wasn’t very well _going_ to be a surprise if he relented and gave up his outfit idea now -was it.

"Okay, there are _several_ things wrong with that sentence, the main one being that I won’t be dressing up for Halloween cause I’m NOT a kid and I’m definitely not dressing up as a… kitten….I mean what even…" Jihoon tugs on Seungcheol’s hair to get him to lower his head so he can work the lather in deeper towards the back of the scalp.

“But Jihoonie…..it’s Halloween, you can get away with anything on Halloween. Any outfit, nobody is gonna judge……if you don’t like the kitten idea there was also a bunny?” Seungcheol offers.

Jihoon tugs more firmly on his hair again and rolls his eyes at the suggestion. “I’m not dressing up Cheol, I don’t care if its Halloween and who is looking, I don’t want to dress up” he mutters, with no real meaning behind the words, because he already has his fucking outfit he just wants to keep it discreet for now.

He doesn’t miss how the older boy’s shoulders slump in disappointment.

**………………………………….**

"Hey, Cheol" Mingyu calls over his shoulder, rattling through his baking pans in the bottom drawer, as their frat leader enters the kitchen, Hoshi close behind him trying to stuff a whole candied caramel apple in his mouth “Do you have any idea how many people we are expecting on Friday night….I want to make sure there is enough food”

Seungcheol looked down at the exceedingly generous spread of food on the kitchen table which was just a sample platter--Mingyu always went overboard with the snacks. “Mingyu…..I think we’re good on the snack front. You do realize that despite the awesomeness of your cooking….people really just come for the drinks”

“That’s where you are wrong Cheol!” Mingyu snapped “Do you know how many times I’ve been at a party and heard people say….This beer would go really well with a miniature Goat’s cheese pizza roll?”

“Uhhhh….never?” Seungcheol supplied pointblank.

"Just sample the damn spread Cheol!"  Mingyu says as he sits the sample platter down in front of Seungcheol and waits patiently for him to taste his baking efforts.

"The filling is too doughy and the crust it too dry." Seungcheol criticized, after taking a bite of the miniature pizza puff Mingyu had made.

"Good to know I'm appreciated here," Mingyu shoots back, affronted by the criticism, popping his own sample into his mouth, chewing and tasting the morsel. “They taste amazing Cheol…..what’s your problem?”

“Trouble in Paradise?” Hoshi suggested gleefully, from his seat across the table, raising one incredulous eyebrow at the elder.

“Fuck off” Seungcheol huffed, kicking the others shin under the table.

“Cheol-hyung is not himself today…..so we won’t get too offended if he’s huffy and critical with us” Wonwoo said pointedly before turning to speak to Mingyu. “Min, what are you dressing up as….I don’t want us both dressing up the same again like last year! Great minds think alike and all!” Wonwoo said.

"I don’t think I have time to come up with an outfit now… I’m responsible for the catering-that’s enough pressure for me" Mingyu replied.

“Everyone’s dressing up…you have to!” Hoshi added.

“Jihoon’s not” Seungcheol sulks.

“Ohh….so that’s why you are in a bad mood then Hyung!” Seungcheol feigned innocent, but Mingyu wasn't fooled. His eyes are a little too soft, a little too knowing and he leans into Seungcheol’s space and whispers “You’re all sad because you can’t convince your boyfriend to play dress up with you…awww” Mingyu teased.

“I just want him to come, to dress up and have fun with me, but he says it’s stupid..“ Seungcheol stammers out after a silent moment of Mingyu’s innocent mocking.  

“Cheer up Hyung….maybe you just need to find a good way of convincing him to dress up. We all know you always get what you want…you’ll think of something” Wonwoo assures him.

Perhaps getting Jihoon to dress up wouldn't be completely out of the realm of possibility. He just needs to try harder.

…………………………………………………..

Seungcheol is persistent. Relentless even with trying to persuade Jihoon to dress up for the party. Jihoon almost feels like just coming out and telling him that he **does** plan on wearing a costume and ruin the surprise but he bites his tongue and maintains the charade. He only has one day to wait now and he’s sure he can hold out a little longer.

He gets a message to meet Seungcheol before his lecture at the campus coffee shop and he waits under the shade, but Seungcheol is running late and he thinks about just turning around and going into his lecture earlier, except that he's hungry and under-caffeinated and before he can decide- Seungcheol catches his eye and waves him over and it seems Junhui has come along as well.

“Black…no milk, no sugar… Please” Jihoon requests from the barista.

Jun grimaces “No milk _and_ no sugar? Why so bland Jihoon, have you seen the seasonal options on the menu? I have three words for you that are going to change your coffee loving life! Pumpk-”

“If you say Pumpkin-Spiced-Latte I might just punch you in the nuts” Jihoon seethed at him “I like coffee as god intended it to be drunk- regular grind, regular roast, regular black coffee”

“Yeah Jun, not everyone’s a sheep like you.  Besides, Jihoonie doesn’t need milk or sugar cause he’s sweet and creamy enough” Seungcheol said, regarding the younger boy’s order.

Jihoon huffs his laughter, a little blush spread across his cheeks, he is more bashful and chaste than Seungcheol at open displays of affection and pushes lightly at Seungcheol’s chest.

Jun regards their loved up display for a moment before speaking “You guys are giving me diabetes with all this fluffy-ness” he says, before turning to the counter to place his order.

They grab their coffees and take an empty booth in the corner, Seungcheol sliding into the empty seat next to Jihoon .

"Speaking rationally..” Seungcheol starts off by saying – he's leaning one elbow on the table and gestures for Jun to back him up. His tone indicates that he’s planned this and Jun has come along to act as another pawn to convince Jihoon to play dress up tomorrow night.

“You can’t go to a Halloween party without dressing up…it’s basic Halloween etiquette. It’s like a bad omen…..if you don’t dress up Freddy Kruger or Pennywise the Clown come to life and murder you in your sleep for breaking with sacred Halloween traditions.”

“I’m going to murder you in your sleep if you don’t drop it” Jihoon murmured around the rim of his cup.

"You know, Jun is dressing as a pirate, I think it’s a little lackluster but at least he is dressing up!”  Seungcheol said. Nodding at Jun across the table.

“Boring? Pirates are cool !I thought I was here for moral support Cheol…” Jun says rather lamely.

Seungcheol becomes too engrossed in the conversation and forgets the time as they continue to debate back and forth and he must think he’s making progress or wearing Jihoon’s resolve down by now. But Jihoon can see through his ‘Be Like Junhui’ strategy and needs this debate to end now, because he's certain that if they talk anymore, if Seungcheol flashes him another charming smile and dimples combo, then all of the seams holding together his little plan will just come undone.

“Come on Jihoonie…..I know I was pushing for the kitten but you can wear anything…..maybe like-“

“You know what Cheol….I’m not going” he interrupts, almost wincing at the callousness in his voice but he doesn’t meet Seungcheol’s gaze, he stares down at his coffee. “I’ve got another assignment to complete….and before you say another word…I’m not bringing it with me this time” He finishes.

“But….when? Eh….can’t……I” Seungcheol stammers, looking for some backup from Jun who just shrugs pathetically back at him.

“Don't you have a lecture at 3?" Jihoon asked pointedly.

“Eh….yeah” Seungcheol replies, defeated and somber.

“It’s 3.15” and he watched Seungcheol scramble in response, grabbing his jacket and making an undignified beeline out the door, his scarf flapping behind him.

Jihoon watched him go with a faint smile, and then he took out his phone again to check the time of his scheduled hair appointment.

……………………………….

“What are you meant to be?” Seungkwan asks Vernon as he follows Jeonghan and Joshua into the house. It’s Halloween night and the party is in full swing , it’s hard to identify most of the revellers from their outfits but Vernon’s awkwardness is unmistakable regardless of his costume.

“Edward Scissor Hands!” Vernon says confidently “You mean you’ve never watched it? It’s an awesome movie. Tim Burton Classic, before he started type-casting Johnny Depp in every single one of his fucking movies, even if he fitted the role or not!”

“Oh yeah I’ve seen it…..it’s just I recall Edward having _Scissors_ for hands and not _spatulas_ ” Seungkwan said pointedly.

Vernon looked down at his hands where he had duct taped two spatulas to his sleeves “Haha,” Vernon chuckles sarcastically. “Wonwoo said it was too dangerous to use scissors and Mingyu suggested these….I’m in the right ball park and it’s Halloween it’s not like we’re getting graded on outfit authenticity here dude……like who are you even meant to be?” he gestured back at Seungkwan’s choice of attire.

“Uhh….hello….I’m Blossom from the Power-Puff Girls? We’re a trio” He said, signalling to Joshua and Jeonghan who were dressed as Bubbles and Buttercup respectively.

Vernon eyes slid down Seungkwan’s frame slowly, he jerked them back up towards the other boy’s face when he realized what he was doing, and Seungkwan narrowed his gaze.“Yeah….well…..you look really nice…..” Vernon hesitated.

“Ok…..yeah…..thanks” Seungkwan replied shortly “So do you….listen..” Seungkwan trailed off as Seungcheol rounded the corner, armed with a half-eaten toffee apple “….Well…my my….officer. Has there been a report of a noise disturbance” Seungkwan asks cheekily, as he admired Seungcheol in his, superbly fitted police officer outfit.

“Hey, that’s not fair….uhmm….isn’t that your outfit from last year Cheol-Hyung?” Vernon pointed out.

“Yeah..so?” Seungcheol asked sharply “It fits and what’s the point of making an effort if….” He trailed off shrugging his shoulders pathetically.

“Well, it really suits you…you look great, Doesn’t he look great Vernon?” Seungkwan complimented, nudging Vernon in the side.

“Can you not… _.please_. He gets enough compliments as it is.. I don’t need to feed that ego” Vernon drones.

Seungcheol salutes him with his toffee apple and replies, “Thanks buttercup”

“Oh my!…Please just call me Seungkwan” Seungkwan blushes, fanning himself melodramatically.

“He think’s you're dressed as Buttercup…from the Power-Puff girls, he’s **not** calling you buttercup!” Vernon points out infuriated with the shift in attention, shaking his head as he walks away.

“Oh….I’m Blossom Cheol-Hyung!” Seungkwan corrects. “Vernon wait up….”

“Whatever” Seungcheol says, flopping down in the couch.

…………………………………..

The evening has been spectacularly disenchanting for Seungcheol. He mills around because he must and pointedly ignores the sympathetic look Mingyu shoots him every few minutes. Vernon seems to have faired better however…

“Looks like it’s gonna be another successful Sigma-Chi-Tau Halloween bash this year.” Vernon says as he limps over to Seungcheol, one of his shoulders was weighed down from supporting an overly drunk Seungkwan who was clutching a pizza roll, pastry flaking everywhere.

Seungcheol glances around disinterestedly evaluating the happy atmosphere. “Good…. _super happy_ everyone is having fun…oh the beer keg is empty..” he drawls miserably to Vernon. “ Shall I tap another keg?” he announces the last part to the room at large.

“YEAAAHHH” came the collective shout.

“Hey…officer…. _officer_ …..scuse me officer…I want….pizza rolls” Seungkwan says, rather tipsily swaying towards him.

“What’s wrong with the one in your hand?” Seungcheol asked when Seungkwan glances over at him expectantly. 

“I want MORE!” Seungkwan said raising his arms and losing his balance.

“I think we have a Code 10-41 on our hands Vernon” Seungcheol reflected honestly. “You might want to sit him down somewhere at Code 10-66 him”

Vernon pulled him back up and propped over his shoulder again “Ok…I don’t know what that means Hyung but I’ll look it up later. C’mon blossom. Let’s get you some more pizza rolls.”

“Hey Cheol!” Mingyu shouted from the hallway leading to the entrance “I’ve been yelling for you…get your ass out here…. I think you’ll wanna see this…Code 10-18!”

“10-2 Mingyu, but I’m good…kinda busy not having fun over here” Seungcheol said, hoisting a keg from under the drinks table to replace the rapidly emptying one.

“CHEOL…… _seriously_ …..trust me….it’s worth it” Mingyu yelled back.

“It better be or I’m going to go Code 10-70 on your ass---”

 

………………………………….

Jihoon should have realised that a regular bus service would not operate on Halloween night. He’d planned everything, but negated the detail of how he was actually going to make it to the party from his dorm dressed…… _dressed as he was_. So he’d walk it, which was fine because it’s not far and he more or less knew the way like the back of his hand at this point- but what he wasn’t expecting was the leers, jeers and the cars slowing down as they passed him.

“Hey,….need a lift sweety?” One guy taunted at him leaning out of his car window.

_What the fuck._

“Omo, you’re so cute!- I love your outfit!” A group of inebriated sorority girls took turns cooing over him as he passed them on the pavement.

_What the actual fuck._

After convincing them that **NO** , they can’t borrow his outfit and **NO** he doesn’t want to go to their Halloween party and **NO** , he doesn’t need them to escort him to the Sigma-Chi-Tau house; he manages to get half way there before another car pulls up. He eyes it questionably as the door opens and a tall male climbs out of the passenger seat “Hey…..you headed somewhere? We can make your journey shorter darling” he says, motioning to the empty seat in the back of the car between two beefed up looking guys.

“NO THANKS!” He blurts out quickly, breaking out into sprint and crossing the main road to avoid them.

_What the fucking fuck._

He knew the outfit was a little risqué. He was expecting a reaction, from Seungcheol, not anybody else and definitely not to this degree. Fear and trepidation was building in the back of his mind as he walked but he relaxed after seeing the frat house was upon him, lit up on the inside and out with an assortment of lights, typical Halloween decorations scattered along the porch and lawn.

………………………………………….

 

When Mingyu answered the door he was expecting a crowd of late party surfers, not this. Not Jihoon dressed like…. _this._

"Hi--" Jihoon glanced over his shoulder, as if worried somebody was following him. "Uh,…can I come in please?"

"Holy- Fuck-Jihoon" Mingyu gasps, as he stood blocking the entrance in shock. Having to speak a little louder to make himself heard over the blaring music coming from inside the house “Cheol….Cheol said you weren’t going to dress up, he said you weren’t gonna come even!”

“Yeah, that’s what I told him. Please let me in, I’m freezing and this is _embarrassing”_ He bites the word out, wincing slightly.” You don’t know how many looks I got walking over here”

Mingyu nodded his head dumbly as he looked him up and down slowly “No, but I can imagine……Cheol is gonna……honestly Jihoon he’s gonna cream himself when he see’s you” Mingyu quips.

"Oh my god" Jihoon said doubtful with embarrassment. Then he added almost tentatively, "……do you really think he’ll like it?"

“Are you kidding…..CHEOL” Mingyu turned to shout inside the house.

“Just let me in!” Jihoon huffed, trying to push past the taller boy, not wishing to be outside and exposed to the masses any longer.

Mingyu held his hand out to stop him from walking through the threshold “I don’t think that’s a very good idea Jihoon, there are _a lot_ of drunk guys in there….they might get _handsy_ and that means Seungcheol will most likely get _violent_ and that’s the last thing we need. Besides, I really wanna see him react when he see’s you….CHEOL!” he turned to yell again “Oh god….wait here I’ll go get him!”

And Mingyu darted down the corridor again, out of sight. Jihoon could hear him speaking loudly on the other end and a chilly gust of wind blew past then, his body trembled and he tugged down the material around his hips in a pathetic effort to retain some warmth.

“…….it’s worth it” Mingyu said, when he appeared again shortly, an anticipatory grin on his face as he stepped aside to allow Seungcheol to pass him.

“It better be or I’m going to go Code 10-70 on your ass---”  Seungcheol stops walking- he can barely breathe as he holds back at the door, the sight of his boyfriend standing on the porch steps woke him like a slap in the face.

Jihoon's hair was now coloured blonde, there was a pair of pink, white and black pom-poms clutched in each hand. The colour scheme flowed through his entire outfit superbly. He was wearing a t-shirt-small and tight enough that it skimmed just above his bellybutton and a pair of the _tightest_ matching cheer shorts; cut short, hem rising high on his creamy thighs; he had matching Converse on with high rise socks. He looked…. _delicous._

Seungcheol felt his dick clench and he swayed down the porch steps. When he got to where Jihoon was standing he stopped.

"Hey Cheol" Jihoon said casually, as if he walked around looking like that every day.

Seungcheol makes a quiet humming sound, his eyes slowly drifting up and down the slighter boys frame. They’re dark, lilted and unfocused, and for a moment he looks like he’s about to collapse before he honestly frowns at Jihoon and anger bubbles to the surface. “ **Fuck** -…what the hell are you **_thinking_** Jihoon, dressing like this and then walking over here on your own… ** _are you insane?”_**

The anger appeared out of nowhere to Jihoon’s shock and bafflement. Of all the reactions he was expecting, this was most definitely not one of them. Jihoon should have felt insulted, but Seungcheol was looking at him with something a little bit more like awe than anything else.

Jihoon's face falls instantly, and Seungcheol softens, feeling guilty. “I…..I thought…..I thought you would like it” Jihoon mumbled, ducking his head and suddenly feeling too exposed in tiny shorts and a crop top.

“ _Off course_ I like it Jihoonie! So will _everyone else_ …..how many people’s hands am I gonna break to keep their mitts of you!” he snapped.

And suddenly all the double takes and friendly strangers made perfect sense. Jihoon felt like a compromised idiot. He hated feeling stupid and he can only manage one reaction when he feels this way. Anger- -and everything shatters.

Jihoon pushes away from Seungcheol like he’s on fire. “You’re the one who kept hounding me to dress up! You wanted me to dress up like a cute kitten for fucks sake” Jihoon snapped back. He shoves a hand through his hair, face hot with shame and embarrassment and something else he doesn’t want to think about right now.

Seungcheol's brow furrowed, like the thought had never occurred to him that maybe he has unintentionally encouraged this side of Jihoon’s behavior. “Yeah! I suggested you dress as a cute kitten…..not a **sex crazed cat!** Not that I would have minded, but **Jesus Christ** Jihoon… do it in the safety of the house, when I can protect you. Don’t dress like walking wet dream and then parade over here- **by yourself** \- for anybody to touch you!”

“Ok…so this isn’t the reaction I was expecting from you guys…” Mingyu chimed in looking back and forth between them like they're a fucking sideshow act now.

“Go get me my varsity jacket Min….it’s hanging in the hallway, I need to cover him up before I take him inside” Seungcheol motioned to his friend reaching to take Jihoon’s wrist.

“ **What?** No! Nu-uh…. **fuck you officer!** I don’t need **you** or your **fucking protection,** I did this for you and you made me feel like **shit**. I’m going home” He spat, shoving Seungcheol’s hand away and running down the steps across the lawn.

“Uh-oh…we have a code 10-48 in progress officer” Mingyu said as he watched Jihoon leg it.

“Jihoonie wait!....My jacket Min- **NOW!”** Seungcheol yelled as Mingyu reached in to throw him the jacket over and he bolted after the smaller boy.

Jihoon had made it down one block before Seungcheol caught up with him, grabbing his arm to stop him and using the momentum to twist him around and face him again.

 **“Fuck…off!”** Jihoon seethed punching at the older boy’s chest “Let go asshole!”

Seungcheol didn’t try and deflect the hits at first, then grabbed the smaller boys arms to restrain him “Did you just assault a police officer, I’m gonna have to book you for that!” Seungcheol teased for a moment but when Jihoon didn’t loosen up and struggled against his grasp, he sighed “Be angry with me if you want. I’m not sorry…Excuse me for giving a shit about you…. **I’m** the asshole cause **I** don’t want you to get eaten alive by creeps on Halloween night!”

Jihoon had stopped hitting him but remained silent, averting his gaze completely. “I _am_ sorry if I gave you the impression that I wanted you dressed slutty so everyone could ogle you…..I don’t want that. **_Ever_**. I’m the _only_ person who should get to see you like this. Unless you like the idea of me smashing people’s faces in to stop them from looking.” he said, reaching around to place his jacket over Jihoon’s shoulders, it was large enough to wrap around him and drop below the hem of his shorts, effectively covering him from prying eyes.

“If you don’t want to come back with me…fine. But I’m not letting you go back to your dorm alone” He told the younger, as he started buttoning up the jacket, upon reaching the top button he reached his hand up to tilt Jihoon’s head, but Jihoon just looked away again, still silent and contemplative.

Seungcheol slumps his shoulders and stares him up and down, steadfastly not looking at how Jihoon's shorts spread tight over his thighs. Seungcheol sighed “Jihoonie….baby….you look amazing, so fucking sexy and if sticking my dick inside of you was all that mattered to me I wouldn’t care who else thought that too. But that’s not all that matters….I care about you. It’s not just sex I want…….. I thought you knew that” he admitted, reaching a hand up again to stroke up Jihoon’s jaw. “I want to cherish you”

Something inside Jihoon broke at that moment and when he takes a chance and glances up, Seungcheol's eyes are on him, soft, honest and almost wondering. Jihoon feels his face heat. He’s good at pushing people away and he can build up a defensive wall, piece by meticulous piece, but Seungcheol-it seems can say a few words and shake that wall till its crumbling to the ground. Those words seemed to have broken though Jihoon’s irritation and he whined high in his throat “Cheol…stop…saying things like that….you’re too sweet to handle”

“Please don’t push me away Jihoonie….don’t be angry with me. I just can’t stomach the idea of anybody else touching you and I can’t believe you made it all the way here without anybody trying” Seungcheol said, closing in on the slighter boy and wrapping his arms around his waist.

“I didn’t…..didn’t think anybody would care” Jihoon huffed, allowing Seungcheol to pull him closer.

“How can you say that? Did you even look in the mirror before you left? You said you weren’t going to dress up. You said you hated cheerleaders…what….what made you decide on this” Seungcheol said, gesturing in awe at the cheerleading get-up

"In what seems to be a terribly permanent trend in my life recently, _you did_. I wanted to surprise you Cheol" Jihoon says, lips pursed in defeated anger.

Instead of replying—Seungcheol pulled him in for a kiss, right there in the middle of the pavement, trick or treaters be damned. Jihoon whined again and then suddenly his mouth was opening under Seungcheol's, his pom-poms were dropping to the floor, and he was grabbing at Seungcheol's shoulders. Seungcheol put one palm against the smooth curve of Jihoon's cheek and the other against Jihoon's waist.

They only pulled away forever later, when they ran out of oxygen. Seungcheol was breathing hard and grinning and he leaned down to press their foreheads together, the feel of Jihoon's arms wrapped around his neck sending a jolt through his body, because Jihoon didn't let other people see him like this, he was letting Seungcheol kiss and touch him like this; he never wanted to dress up in the first place, but he was doing it for Seungcheol. He'd been trying to fulfill Seungcheol’s fantasy.

“Come back with me please” Seungcheol asked, not waiting for a reply as he tugged Jihoon back towards the house.

Jihoon slides into the house behind Seungcheol, gingerly stepping over the assortment of Halloween decorations and balloons littering the entrance, Seungcheol’s Jacket wrapped tightly around his body.

“Aww…..you guys made up” Mingyu beamed at them “And you actually still look like a cheerleader Jihoonie….you know when Jocks give their Girlfriends their Letterman jackets to keep? It’s kinda like that…..Ya know, Cheol-Hyung has _never_ given anybody his jacket before…you’re the first” He told Jihoon with a wink and a nudge, making the younger blush and hide his face against Seungcheol’s back.

………………………………………….

It’s been over an hour since Jihoon arrived. And Seungcheol is doing a terrible job of hosting and networking with guests. But then, he did have a major distraction on his hands, and Jihoon knows he’s mostly to blame for that and the ache in his balls. Seungcheol keeps an eye on him as he moves around the room, mingling with friends and even though he’s still draped in the older boys Varsity jacket and looking more modest than most at the party by wearing it, he still gets some lustful looks and it takes an immeasurable amount of restraint from Seungcheol, as well as the combined efforts of Mingyu, Jun and Wonwoo to hold him back when one partygoer gets a little too ambitious with his hands.

Jihoon however, manages to diffuse the situation swiftly by punching the stranger square in the face and he yelps back muttering in pain.

Jihoon moves around the living room, to where Vernon and Seungkwan are flopped on the large leather armchair in the corner, legs casually tangled together, and Seungkwan is feasting on the remnants of a pizza roll, a nondescript haunting halloween melody playing quietly in the background.

“Jihoonie…..Jihoonie is here!” Seungkwan greets him tipsily from his sprawled out position on the couch “Aww Jihoonie you dressed up….awwww…..awwww”

“Boo…..how much have you had to drink?” Jihoon asked, moving to sit on the arm of the couch.

“Shhhhh…..I don’t know….have you met my friend Vernon. Let me introduce you to Vernooni, he supplies me with the pizza rolls!” Seungkwan mumbled lazily patting Vernon on the arm. “If you ask him nicely…..he can get you pizza rolls too!”

“Actually…I hate to tell you this but....we’re all out of Pizza rolls Seungkwan” Vernon said.

“Nooooooo” Seungkwan drawled, tilting his head back against the couch.

“I don’t know why he’s so out of it….he’s only managed two beers!” Vernon whispered over to Jihoon.

“Hmph….lightweight” Jihoon laughed.

……………………………………………..

When the fireworks display starts, Jihoon has already bored of the stereotypical party talk and moved up to the secluded area of the loft, the house emptied as the revelers walked out to the back patio to watch the display.

Jihoon’s not sure how it happens. He remembers standing by the large skylight, watching the fireworks display outside. When Seungcheol’s voice comes out of nowhere, “Code 10-44….Sexual assault in progress” and Jihoon barely has time to turn his head away from the window and register what’s happening when Seungcheol pulls him back onto the couch--and then straight into his lap.

Jihoon swallows as the older boy’s hand settles against his knee, and then glides up to his thigh, warm strong fingers skating underneath the cut leg of his cheer shorts. “I’ve never been so hard in all of my life Jihoonie” he replies. “All because of you….you little tease.” Seungcheol’s mouth pressing kisses along his stomach were the top of his cheer kit rides high along his waist, exposing his midriff and when he feels Seungcheol’s tongue dipping and swirling into his navel he gasps, throwing his head back.

Something in the back of his mind tells him they should move, that whatever they are planning next doesn’t need to be witnessed by a party-full of people or anyone who might bore of the firework show and wonder up to the loft. But Seungcheol’s mind isn’t on the same wavelength, his hand doesn’t listen as it drops unceremoniously into the space between Jihoon’s thighs and fondles him.

Jihoon groans like he’s fucking dying, and that hardness pressed against his backside isn’t something he needs to feel right now, not when he’s the only one thinking clearly between the two of them “Cheol...., _yes_ , fuck … _yes_ …… _ahhh_ ….but…..not here….your room…. _please_ ” His words are mumbled as he turns his face into Seungcheol’s shirt, fingers gripping over the back of Seungcheol’s hand, applying pressure to his crotch whilst simultaneously trying to pull the hand away from its relentless teasing.

“But…this is a good spot to watch the fireworks from Jihoonie?” Seungcheol murmurs low and deep in his ear.

“Hmm…..but…Cheol……somebody could walk in…..lock….lock the door” he gasps and the next thing he knows, he's being lifted to sit on the cushy arm of the chair as Seungcheol retreats back to the door to comply with that request. He feels a thread of urgency run through him as he estimates the amount of time they have and as soon as the door is shut, he moves to press against the older boy and shove his tongue down his throat. He kisses Seungcheol like they are running out of time, and maybe he knew something Seungcheol didn't, but Seungcheol wants to draw this out. He wanted to take his time and savor every moment.

There would be time for fast and dirty later -- right now he had plans. “Easy baby…..easy…what’s the rush…the door is locked now….nobody is going to disturb us…relax” He took Jihoon's face in his hands and pulled back before kissing his upper lip, then down to his lower lip, and then he slowly slid his tongue alongside Jihoon's until the smaller boy made a desperate-sounding noise. But Jihoon, became pliant and slowed down and they kissed each other slowly and sweetly like that until all the tension in him receded.

“Shhh…relax……” Seungcheol repeats silkily, guiding them back towards the couch.

So Jihoon does. He lets Seungcheol pull him onto his lap and undress him slowly, he lets him smooth his hands all over his body, peppering kisses along his collarbone, over his neck and down the wing of one shoulder to the small of his back. He continued to do that as he divulged him of his shorts, until Jihoon was completely naked, except for the high rise socks and converse. He caressed his hand down Jihoon’s bare back, palms smoothing over his butt cheeks, stroking every inch of skin.

Each time Jihoon reached up to unbutton Seungcheol’s shirt he gently tugged his hands away and brought them down to his lap, before resuming with his tender exploration of the other boy’s skin. Jihoon busied his hands instead by alternately running them through Seungcheol's hair or gripping the front of his shirt each time he discovered a ticklish sensitive area of his body.

If Jihoon would permit him, _if_ he was patient enough, he could do this for hours, just stay here and explore his body with his hands, lips and tongue. Maybe he would, later. But right now Jihoon was breathing hard, his pulse pounding beneath Seungcheol's fingertips as the older boy slid his thumbs along the hard curve of Jihoon's hips and he licked his lips once before growling at his Hyung "Cheol, if you don't get naked now, I will kill you" It was hardly threatening when his cheeks were red and his pretty cock was curved up, erect against his stomach; he looked so edible Seungcheol was halfway-concerned he would blow a load before penetrating him.

Seungcheol sighed dramatically “So _so_ impatient…..you want my cock that bad huh?”

Jihoon grabbed him by the front of his shirt and leveled his nose with Seungcheol’s “Stop teasing me! If you don’t whip your dick out Cheol, I will cut it off and use it myself!” he threatened.

“Your wish is my command" Seungcheol said chuckling, unbuckling his belt and unzipping his trousers, fumbling with the material before pulling out his thick cock into the cool air.

Jihoon eyed his cock fondly and then suddenly, Jihoon was jumping off his lap and crawling between his legs. Without so much as a ‘Hello Cheol Junior’ he flicked his tongue, lapping the slit of Seungcheol’s cock before closing his lips around the head and sucking greedily. Seungcheol bit his knuckle and arched his neck but he couldn't stop himself from thrusting up reflexively into the wet velvety warmth of Jihoon’s mouth. Jihoon choked once, then took a deep breath through his nose and took the cock in again easily, taking all of him in and sucking and moaning and _needing it_. Gazing up at Seungcheol through his lashes, Jihoon hollowed out his cheeks and hummed around the shaft. Seungcheol almost came in his mouth there and then. And when Jihoon drew back slightly and curled his tongue around the tip whilst applying torturous sucking pressure, Seungcheol shuddered and the room began to tilt slightly. He tugged on Jihoon's hair until he raised his head. "You need to stop," Seungcheol said, groaning.

Jihoon looked at him like he was stupid " _Why_?" he asked, ghosting satin lips along his overheated flesh as the licks became less and less frequent. Seungcheol pulled him up by the arms until the smaller boy was straddling him again, knees pressed into either side of his thighs, ass hovering inches above his dick.

“Cause I have something planned and you’re distracting me” he huffed but when he fished around in the his pocket to pull out the lube he had the good foresight and confidence to stash there, he ended up pulling out the costume’s police cuffs instead. Jihoon’s eyes widened as he saw them and he leaned away. "Oh….here?…..where are you going to attach them though?" Jihoon asked.

“What?…..No! These just came with the outfit” he deflected quickly tossing the cuffs behind him and fishing in his pocket again, pulling out the lube and tearing it open with his teeth. “Are..…wait..…you’d _really_ let me use cuffs on you? Would you be in for…is that something you’re in….”he started to say, but he didn't know how to complete that thought. Jihoon just smiled at him and raised his head for another kiss. He gasped into Seungcheol’s mouth when he felt a finger run down the cleft of his ass in a teasing motion and he broke this kiss.

“Cheol….please…stop teasing me” he huffed.

“ **Me?** Out of the two of us, you’re accusing **me** of teasing….that’s debatable Jihoonie, very debatable” Seungcheol said, tearing the lube packet further but before he could slick up his fingers, however, Jihoon grabbed his wrist and brought the hand up to his mouth. He let Seungcheol slide two fingers past his lips into his mouth and the older boy groaned as Jihoon sucked on them lewdly.

_And he’s calling me a tease….._

Painfully hard now, Seungcheol pulled his hand back, coated his fingers generously with lube, and slipped his hand around to push one into Jihoon. Jihoon hissed and bounced a little when he did it, fingers grasping on the dark material of Seungcheol’s uniform, but then he began to relax slowly.

Inside, Jihoon was soft and hot, and he made an encouraging little sound when Seungcheol slipped in a second finger and stretched him gently.

"You're so tight Jihoonie…." he panted into Jihoon's neck, twisting his fingers even as he bears down with one hand gripping Jihoon's shoulder, holding him in place as he prepared him. He licked the line of Jihoon's collarbone. "Remember what I promised you on the phone last week? I want you to ride me…..you’re gonna ride me and touch yourself, I wanna watch you….I’m not going to touch you"

"Cheol…ahh….ahhh…I need to," Jihoon started, but he didn't finish; he went pliant and dropped his forehead against Seungcheol's, his thighs trembling as he was scissored open.

"Up" Seungcheol instructed, finally pulling his fingers out and Jihoon raised himself to hover over the blunt shaft; once Seungcheol slicked his cock up, he lined it up with Jihoon’s hole and allowed the younger to lower himself down, until Seungcheol was filling him to the hilt.

A shiver coursed up Jihoon's spine when Seungcheol bottomed out, and the sensation travelled straight to Seungcheol's cock. He swore “Shit!” and held Jihoon in place until he no longer felt like he was going to explode from the intense hot and burning grip around his cock.

Jihoon swore back as he was filled up. He’s loose and happy and Seungcheol is thick, so big... “Uhhaa….fuck-ck…” He grunts as his walls clench around the intrusion like he never wanted to let go, and it felt amazing having the thick shaft back inside him again.

“Fuck Cheol! Fuck....so full” He gasped. Jihoon stays like that, hands tangled gently in the front of Seungcheol’s shirt and Seungcheol’s hand still resting at his hip. Jihoon doesn’t open his eyes, but he can hear Seungcheol groan, breath wavering and hitching slightly each time Jihoon experimentally clenches his muscles around the cock.

_Feels….so….good…..need….to…..m_

His train of thought is derailed by Seungcheol, who lifts him up, hands gripping his hips tightly, lifting him partway off until just the tip remains inside and then releases him, gravity dropping him down hard onto his cock again.

“FUCK!” Jihoon screamed.

“YES! ….C’mon baby…Ride me…..move!” Seungcheol encouraged.

Then Jihoon took the hint and started rocking as Seungcheol leant back against the couch, hands crossed behind his head as he watched Jihoon lift his own hips upwards, raising himself off the older boy’s cock and push himself down again enveloping the shaft into his tight heat. He hissed as the thick head rubbed along his inner walls roughly with the first few straddles, screwing his eyes shut as he tried to will his muscles to relax and let his body find its rhythm.

“You feel…. _great_ Jihoonie…..it feels _amazing_ , keep going baby” Seungcheol watched him through stilted eyes as he impaled himself repeatedly. He thinks he could easily get used to fucking Jihoon like this, watching him bounce himself up and down on his cock, brows furrowed as he concentrated on maintaining a rhythm. Jihoon seemed quieter, small _ah_ 's spilling out of his mouth with every drop down onto Seungcheol' cock, but he was just as tight, hot and sweet as the first time. His creamy, lean thighs were trembling where they were pressed against Seungcheol's sides as he worked himself rhythmically on the older boy's prick

But the promise of not touching was proving difficult to keep for Seungcheol. He ran his hands along Jihoon's thighs, back and forth in a soothing and encouraging motion and around to the smooth skin along the small of his back, and that’s when Jihoon began touching himself, looking like he was about to fall apart already but remaining completely silent, he hadn’t asked permission yet.

That wouldn't do. "Hey," Seungcheol said, grabbed Jihoon's face, holding him until his eyes fluttered opened. "Not yet, you can’t come yet……..you have to ask nicely"

"Cheol…I can’t--" Jihoon's breath stuttered, but his eyes were wide and dark, nearly black. "Please Cheol…..I….I don’t have that kind of stamina….my thighs are ….killing me….please cheol…..”

“Please what?” Seungcheol asked.

“Please…..fuck me….” He begged.

Seungcheol groaned his approval and slid down lower in the couch, moving his hands to grip the smaller boy’s waist tightly. He raised him up, till only the tip of the shaft was inside and then brought him down in one fluid motion and that seemed to strike a chord, because Jihoon started screaming "YES” and so he repeated the action “UGH” and again “CHEOL” and again “FUCK" and again “MORE” once more and “YES!” Jihoon’s hand returned to his cock and he resumed jerking himself off quickly, his hole spasming around Seungcheol's cock as he spilled into his own hand with a cry and collapsed against Seungcheol’s chest, bonelessly.

"Was that good for you baby? See what happens when you ask nicely" Seungcheol murmured, kissing along Jihoon’s forehead and cheeks as he lifted him off his dick and rested him on his lap.

"Hnn…yeahhh" Jihoon groaned into Seungcheol's shoulder.

The heights seemed particularly reluctant to recede this time. Jihoon's utterly sated and his eyes are drooping and he just wants to sink into the others arms and let Seungcheol kiss him some more, let the lingering presses of chaste kisses draw out the buzz of satisfaction for a small eternity.

But Seungcheol’s hasn’t had release yet and he's not a selfish jerk so he reaches over to give the elder’s arousal some attention.

Seungcheol knocks his hand away, even though Jihoon can see how painfully hard he still is, and says, "No, you don’t need to…Just….just lie like this. You're so fucking beautiful. I just want to look at you when I…" and he begins jerking his own cock, fist slipping over the head, knuckles grazing Jihoon’s limp member as he worked himself to completion.

“Yes….ughh…..Can I…….can I….” Seungcheol hesitated as he pumped himself furiously, hand bringing him closer to the edge “Fuck…..ah….Jihoonie….can I come on you baby” he asked.

“Hmmm…yes please” Jihoon murmured, eyes still glossed.

He suddenly flips Jihoon onto his back, shoulders digging into the seat cushions below as he continues to jerk himself, head pressed into the crook of the smaller boy’s neck, bodies so close that Jihoon can't keep track of what's him and what's Seungcheol anymore.

“Do you want me to cheer for you Cheol” Jihoon asked lazily, hand stroking fondly through the dark hair, it was the only gesture he could manage at the moment, he didn't think he could move if he tried.

“Ughh” Seungcheol groaned approvingly into his neck as he picked up the pace of his fist.

“Give me a **C!...** give me a **U!…..** give me an **M!....”** he cheered moderately loud, then whispered a quite cheer against Seungcheol’s ear “…. _give me your cum-Hyung!”_

“Aw…fuckkkk…” That sent Seungcheol over the edge; he came, splattering hot and thick stripes over Jihoon’s belly, muttering indecipherable words into Jihoon’s neck as he smeared the tip of his leaking cock around Jihoon’s navel.

“You’re right Hyung…..this is a good spot to watch the fireworks”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is brought you by.  
> 1) Halloween....I mean apart from mentioning that it's Halloween. I don't go into great depths to describe it. I guess I was just focusing on the smut.  
> 2) Mingyu is awesome. Like he's just so nice, In one fine day...he did all the cooking, What a legend.  
> 3) Seungcheol....as a cop. I need this. Watching BTS' dope video and thinking....Maybe Jungkook could loan him that costume!!!  
> 4) If anybody is interested I have listed themeaning of the signal codes I used below. We talk like this at work to keep things interesting and also to piss people off.  
> 10:41 = Drunk and Disorderly  
> 10: 2 = message received loud and clear.  
> 10:66 = Brief/Debrief suspect  
> 10:18= Respond as soon as possible  
> 10: 70= Fire alert  
> 10:48 = Runaway Juvenile  
> 10:44 = Sexual assault in progress


	13. Down with the Sickness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aftermath and man-flu.

 

The ache is there when he wakes. He doesn’t have to stretch to feel it this time because last night was _rough_. He remembers clearly their activities in the loft, Seungcheol’s smell, how good he felt inside him, how he begged his Hyung to fuck him. And he complied, because the ache is there and it’s _**glorious.**_

It’s a reminder of the sounds Seungcheol made in his ear when he spurted thick and hot on Jihoon’s belly, a reminder of how they lay there after, recovering from the afterglow, watching the fireworks colour the sky out of the skylight window. A reminder of Seungcheol drifting off to sleep, a heavy weight on top of him as Jihoon carded fingers through his hair and sang softly in his ear.

How he got down into Seungcheol’s room after last night, unfortunately, wasn’t so crystal clear in Jihoon’s mind. His brain was muddled by alcohol and still reeling from an intense orgasmic buzz, but he recalled flashes; a banging door, loud yelling and fuzzy visions of the older boy haphazardly dressing him and lifting him over his shoulder.

A glance to the side of the bed reveals Seungcheol is gone, but his side is still warm to the touch so Jihoon knows he’s at east got some sleep. He rolls out from underneath the covers and then registers he’s wearing the top half of Seungcheol’s Police officer costume from last night, obviously it was easier for the older boy to dress him in the oversized article then to grapple with the incredibly fitted cheer gear he’d been sporting for the party.

Slipping down the stairs quietly, Jihoon surveyed the collateral damage the party had inflicted. It seemed superficial at best- no structural destruction, just huge amounts of clutter. There was stuff, _everywhere_ , empty pizza boxes, crushed beer cans, half-eaten bags of Cheetos and pizza rolls, and every other kind of atrocious party food Jihoon could ever imagine, spread on every surface. The party must have escalated after he and Seungcheol had ‘retired’ for the night.

Seungkwan and Vernon are curled up asleep on the couch, Seungkwan’s head buried into the other boy’s shoulder and Jihoon deliberately knocks against his friend’s outstretched arm as he passes them, cruelly rousing the boy from sleep.

“Uhhhh…what the f…where am I?” Seungkwan groans sleepily.

“Wakey wakey Boo…..did you enjoy your little journey escaping from Narnia?” Jihoon asked, looking down at him.

“What……what? Ehhh what?” He asks, more than confused and still half asleep. Jihoon nods his head to the side and Seungkwan eventually whips his head around to take note of his sleeping position _and_ his sleeping companion.

“Wooaohhhhh!” He blurts, extracting himself clumsily from Vernon’s arms, waking up the other boy in the process. “Ok…he obviously slipped me something….you know…we all know I’m a lady killer!” Seungkwan protested.

“Really?” Jun spoke up, appearing from the hallway, “Cause that hickey on Vernon’s neck says otherwise….it say’s you’re a Vernon Killer!”

“Leave him alone guys…Seungkwan didn’t do this” he confessed, running a hand over the side of his neck “I got this from a girl I met in my History class” he confirmed.

“Hello....what? You got up close and personal with a girl _then_ spooned me on the couch? Dude… _where is your loyalty?_ ” Seungkwan accused, hawk-eyed and looking at Vernon like a piece of gum on the bottom of his shoe.

“No, this was like 3 weeks ago…it’s still healing. However… this one right _here_ I got from _you_ last night” Vernon retaliated, pointing to another mark on the opposite side of his neck, much to Jun and Jihoon’s amusement and Seungkwan’s mortification.

Mingyu’s in the kitchen stressing out over its dire state when Jihoon enters. “ **Shit** …..woah…..look at this place” he said, taking in the chaotic scene of culinary rampage disdainfully.

“I know….I know…..I don’t even know where to start!” Mingyu wailed, turning to face Jihoon “I….uh..isn’t that Cheol-Hyung’s costume shirt? He sure likes playing dress up with you huh” Mingyu laughed, his good cheer unflinching despite his kitchen woes.

“Yeah he does.... but this is comfortable…and more modest anyway!” He says, rubbing his thumb over the soft hem of Seungcheol’s shirt “Shall I start on the dishes?” Jihoon offers a helping hand which Mingyu is in no position to decline.

………………………………………………

When Seungcheol bounces through the front door, he’s sweating and just slightly short of breath. He suspects it’s the cold air outside seizing up his lungs when he feels something tighten uncomfortably in his chest, but he chooses to ignore it.

The house seems to be in much better order then when he left it. Most of the boys are in the living area, fisting piles of rubbish into black refuse sacks, talking amicably and laughing at some bawdy jokes that are making Seungkwan- _who is still in his ridiculous Power-puff girl costume_ -blush.

Seungcheol grins at the image that greet him as he enters the kitchen. There was Jihoon, dressed in his Police-Officer’s shirt, cheer shorts barely peeking through underneath, standing on a step stool and leaning over the sink with soap suds on his nose. He moves up behind Jihoon quietly, motioning for Mingyu to remain silent as he creeps up behind his boyfriend. Placing his hands on the basin, on either side of Jihoon’s hips, he leans in. “Good morning beautiful” he croons into Jihoon’s ear, who emits a little noise of surprise that turns into something that's half sigh, half laughter when Seungcheol wraps his arms around his waist and rocks them gently side to side, nuzzling into the smaller boy’s neck, his scent is as familiar and necessary as breathing by this point “How is it possible that you look _even cuter_ now, then you did last night?” he said, pressing chaste kisses against Jihoon’s neck.

Jihoon has never cared less about having an audience and his body reacts impulsively to being encircled by his boyfriend, slanting back against the broad chest behind him “Hmm..I dunno…you’re the one who dressed me in this...guess you have good taste” He replied, pecking him on the cheek “Hyung…you’re so warm, were you out running?” Jihoon asked, feeling heat radiate off the surface of his Seungcheol’s skin.

“No I was…walking…I feel warm. But I was just outside, I went to your dorm to pick up some clothes for you” He said, pressing the back of his hand against his forehead.

“You… _really?_ You did that for me? You didn’t have to Hyung” Jihoon says.

“And let you walk back to your dorm in your cheer kit? No offence.. but I don’t feel like beating the shit out of people today. You have bubbles on your nose” Seungcheol said, blowing at the suds on Jihoon’s face.

Jihoon used the back of his hand to wipe the suds away, then dipped his hand over the rising foam in the basin and smeared bubbles on Seungcheol’s nose “So do you!”

“Can the two of you reign it in for a minute while we try and tidy up the house!” Mingyu tittered as he wiped down the table. “Seungcheol, Jihoon was being so helpful until you showed up….now you’re practically humping him against the sink!”

“Alright, alright….I’ll take up drying duty” Seungcheol huffed, extracting himself from around Jihoon, sidling up next to him and reaching for a drying cloth from the drawer.

“Good…I’ll make a start on breakfast then” Mingyu nodded, turning to pull out his cooking utensils and ingredients.

To be fair to Seungcheol, they’re equally distracting as each other. For no sooner had Mingyu turned his back to light the hob, had Seungcheol dried one plate, stacked it, twisted his drying cloth up tight and whipped Jihoon on the butt. Which _of course_ required retaliation and Jihoon had to grab a cup, sink it down into the dirty dish water and fling the contents on Seungcheol’s t-shirt, drenching him.

That act has given way to a soapy and merciless water fight which somehow resulted in Jihoon hurling the washing up sponge into Mingyu’s griddle pan as it sizzled on the hob.

**“That’s it! Both of you- get the fuck out of my kitchen!”**

…………………………..

Jihoon offers to was the dishes again after breakfast, but Seungcheol is not allowed to help this time. So he drags heavy bags of rubbish out to the side walk instead. By the time he finishes, there is a fine layer of sweat on his brow and the tightness in his chest is more prominent, but he ignores it again and sits at the foot of the couch in front of Jihoon.

“Alright….I’m not putting off this walk of shame any longer!” Seungkwan said, lifting Vernon’s arm from his thigh and moving to stand up “Come on Jihoonie…we can walk back to the dorms together. It will be less embarrassing this way and I’m sure we’re not the only ones who had revealing Halloween costumes” he says, tugging the hem of his dress lower.

“Uhh…no….I have a change of clothes….Seungcheol just stopped off at my dorm and picked them up for me” Jihoon says pointedly, tapping Seungcheol’s shoulder and indicating for him to lean back into the chair.

“Oh…….you wouldn’t happen to have dropped off at my dorm and picked me up any spare clothes?” Seungkwan asked hopefully, gesturing to the rumpled Power-Puff dress he was expected to wear back to his room.

“Hmm.. **No** , Don’t you have your _own_ boyfriend to do that for you?” Seungcheol confirms, leaning back against Jihoon’s knees and grinning suggestively at Vernon. The room erupts in another howl of laughter and merciless taunting.

Seungcheol is laughing and loose, relaxed when Jihoon brushes his hands against the tufts of his hair fondly, and he butts his head up into the other boy’s hands, encouraging him. Jihoon sinks his fingers into his boyfriend’s hair, and kneads Seungcheol’s scalp in slow circles, the shape of it familiar under his fingers. Seungcheol makes a series of increasingly distracting noises as Jihoon work’s his scalp with strong skilful fingers. He pauses for a moment to place the palm of his hand over Seungcheol’s neck, feeling the area throb underneath. "Cheol….are you sure you’re feeling okay, you’re really warm?" Jihoon asks, his voice gentle.

Seungcheol turns to face him, half of his hair is sticking up at odd angles from the scalp rub “Yeah…I’ve just been outside and it’s cold..…..that’s probably why.”

“Hmm…maybe you’re coming down with something?” Jihoon muses.

“I don’t get sick Jihoon…..I’m like fucking superman” Seungcheol boasts. Jihoon snorts, but he resumes his rubbing, pressing against Seungcheol’s scalp a little harder, making him release a low, appreciative noise and slump back further against Jihoon.

…………………………………….

Superman may be impervious to most forms of damage, but he had his Kryptonite. And Seungcheol had his…. _the common cold_. Which hit him full force-a day later.

“What do you mean you left him?” Jihoon asked Hoshi and Jun, cornering them in the library after one of his lectures.

“You don’t understand…he’s so difficult when he’s sick…he’s whiny and angry and….violent sometimes…..and did I say whiny? He's super fucking whiny! We didn’t want to be there for that again” Jun defended.

“So you just **left him** _…..sick… **alone?”**_ Jihoon cleared, glaring at the guilty two.

“Well…..Mingyu will be back from his lecture this evening and Wonwoo has practical’s all day. _You’re_ his boyfriend….why don’t _you_ look after him” Hoshi suggested.

“I will you knob jockeys! Give me the keys to the front door” Jihoon seethed “I just can’t believe you call yourself a fraternity when you abandon your leader in his moment of need! Brotherhood **my ass** ” He spits, turning to his group of friends waiting at his desk “Seungkwan, sorry but I’m cancelling lunch later!” Jihoon tells him, packing his books into his backpack.

“What? Whhyyyyy?!” he whines “I wanted to talk to you about….. _Vernon_ ” he whispers the last part hoping it goes unheard by Joshua and Jeonghan standing behind him.

"Tough, you can message me about it or just tell me later. We’ll do a rain check on lunch" Jihoon tells him "My boyfriend's sick, that takes precedence. Joshua, do you mind taking notes for me?” He pleaded before rushing out the library.

…………………………………….

There are days, Jihoon reflects, that he's pretty sure that Seungcheol is the personification of strength itself, he’s usually so athletic, impressively built and resilient. _But not today._

To be more precise, when Jihoon gets to his room, Seungcheol is lying over the edge of the bed in an oversized fluffy hoody and sweats, groaning into the bedspread. At any other time, the sight of Seungcheol’s exceptional rear would have pleased him but Seungcheol’s groan was pained, the pitch _whiny_ and Jihoon feels his heart jump and break all at once.

“Cheol?” Jihoon asked tentatively, stepping through the door and pushing it shut behind him. “Hey…Cheol….Hyungy… are you ok?” Jihoon whispers quietly. No response. He huffs to himself, then reaches out to shake Seungcheol by the shoulder. Jihoon gets on his knees, chest against the edge of the bed, to peer at Seungcheol’s face and when Seungcheol snuffles in his sleep and turns completely onto his side to face Jihoon, they’re nearly nose to nose.

“Hmmpp?” Seungcheol acknowledged from his position and with great effort he raised his head to look at Jihoon, blinking, for a long minute “Ji—hoonie? Hmm…I was just dreaming about you…” he rasps, stopping in his tracks as a wave of discomfort overtook him and he slumps back into the matress.

“Cheol….you’re sick” Jihoon confirmed.

“ _Noo_ …no…I’m feeling great actually….. _let’s party_ ” Seungcheol offered.

“No….you’re sick Hyung, let’s get you back into bed” Jihoon suggested.

“Yeah! Let’s get into bed!” Seungcheol nodded, finding some small reserve of energy to hoist himself up.

“No… **No!** Cheol…..we’re **not** having sex. You’re sick. I came here to look after you, not ride you” Jihoon chided, pulling his hand away when Seungcheol tugged him over to the bed.

“But I’m not sick…..I’m feeling great….I could run ten miles!” He protested even as his breathing became uneven and wheezy.

Despite his denial, he lets Jihoon take off the hoodie he's wearing and move him under the covers even though he’s unbearably warm and cloistered underneath them.  Jihoon drapes a second blanket over him, tucking it around his shoulders. Seungcheol huffs but lets him check his temperature with the back of his hand. He does not, however, make it easy for him as he rolls fitfully on the bed, disturbing the sheets and tangling them around his legs.

“Don’t move….I’ll be back” Jihoon says and nips downstairs again, grabs some medication from Wonwoo’s medicine cabinet, prepares several cool flannels, depositing half in the fridge and then he makes a mug of honey and lemon tea and carries it upstairs, placing it on the table.

"You don’t have to do this Jihoonie" Seungcheol says, moving one arm enough to peer up at him with bleary eyes a noticeable glow on his cheeks. "I’m feeling fine" he attests and then on cue- he turns his face to the side and hacks for a minute, breath crackling over each hard cough. “See….. _M’fine_ ” he wheezes, when he can talk again.

" _Right_ ," Jihoon says doubtfully, patting him on the shoulder gingerly “You’re the very vision of health Cheol, If you’re feeling so great….maybe I should just go?”

"No don’t go!" Seungcheol says, sniffling mournfully. "I need you…please stay _..…… I’m sick"_

“See…that wasn’t so hard now _was it_?. Why couldn’t you just admit to it before?” Jihoon teases gently. He doesn’t get a verbal response, but Seungcheol droops his eyelids in quiet defeat. “It’s ok Cheol, I’ll make you feel better I promise…I’ve cleared my schedule…Joshua is going to take notes for me and I’m going to look after you” he promised.

He beams up at Jihoon, and this smile is all dorky and gorgeous. _Even when he’s sick, Seungcheol_ is gorgeous. “Really? You’re going to stay and… _play nurse with me?”_ How he manages that level of lewdness in his state is nothing short of impressive.

“Nooo… **No**. _Nice try though_. I’m not wearing a nurse’s outfit” Jihoon spoke quietly, hands smoothing down the blanket over the older boy’s thighs.

“But It would make me feel better Jihoonie…..it would make me feel like.. I was in a hospital, like a placebo effect!” He suggested expectantly.

“Awwwww…still... **NO!** If you weren’t so obviously sick I would have slapped you for even suggesting it Hyung. So hard you _would_ have needed the hospital” Jihoon threatened in a strangely soothing tone, lifting the tea from the dresser.

“Spanking….that would also make me feel better” Seungcheol suggested and when Jihoon turns to glare at him, he’s half on his side, one arm slung loose over his stomach, fingers curled gently into the fabric of his top, mouth parted slightly, his lower lip full and soft-looking. “They say the best way to get rid of a fever is to sweat it out…..I’m sure you can think of a few things to help me sweat it out hmm?”

Jihoon counts to five in his head, because he’s almost floored and can’t expect to reply to that immediately without _some_ modicum of control "I’m going to _pretend_ like you didn’t just ask me to spank you right now…” Jihoon said, magnanimously, dismissing the older boy’s proposition as feverish ramblings, but Seungcheol is staring at him, his mouth twisting into a knowing smile, but it’s softer and warmer and his gaze is heavy with something Jihoon’s not sure how to handle.

His kinky nature, whilst usual appealing, is not entirely helpful right now and it’s certainly not going to contribute to his recovery. “It’s amazing how you can be so horny when you’re so ill" Jihoon sighs shaking his head.

……………………………..

Jun was right. Seungcheol is whiny. After he finally admits to being ill, he doesn’t stop going on about it.

“I’m _soo illlllllll_ ” He whined again, rolling across the bed. “My body hurts all over! Whyyyyy!"

“Aw…poor thing. I thought you were developing something the other day, you were running a temperature. Maybe you have the flu?” Jihoon ponders.

“No, it’s not the flu…..It’s _death_. I’m _dying_. Everything hurts and I’m going to _die_. It’s probably cancer or something as bad….Malaria. _Cancerous Malaria_ ….and Cholera and Typhoid!” Seungcheol claimed outrageously.

Jihoon huffed his laughter, trying to be mindful and a degree more sympathetic of Seungcheol’s ailing state “Some of those are physically impossible, it’s equally likely to be Syphilis…..that would at least explain why you’re so fucking insane and horny” Jihoon teased.

Seungcheol pulls out a tissue from the box at his side, blows his nose, and offers Jihoon a confused kind of frown “ _Jihooonniee_ …don’t laugh at me. I’m _siiicckkkk…..whhhyyy!_ ” Seungcheol whined piteously.

“Oh oh..ok…I’m sorry…. _sorry….aww…shhhhhh_ ” He soothed, settling the older boy down again.

“ _Why me!”_ Seungcheol says for the third time, the weight of his fever thrumming heavily through his veins, and Jihoon sighs. Seungcheol has a cool flannel resting on his forehead, his eyelids are swollen with fever and fatigue and when Jihoon removes the damp cloth to check his temperature again, it’s warm.

“You’re still burning up puppy, I’m going to change this” he says, brushing Seungcheol's hair out of his eyes and swapping the warming flannel for one fresh out of the fridge. Seungcheol moans his agreement and winces when the cooler flannel hits his burning skin.

Jihoon moves to leans back against the headboard, and Seungcheol nestles his head in his lap. Jihoon begins humming a broken lullaby under his breath, his fingers tips tracing the outline of Seungcheol’s face gently, feather like touches at first and then they slide down to smooth out the crease on his brow.

He’s on the second chorus, humming softly when Seungcheol rolls his head into his lap, and curls his arm more comfortably around one thigh, using it as a pillow as he slips into much needed sleep. Jihoon chuckled, and he couldn't resist running his fingers through the thick damp hair as Seungcheol droned softly in his sleep when the flannel slipped off his head.

…………………………………………..

“How is the patient?” Wonwoo asks, standing a safe and precautious distance away from the bed.

“He’s still so poorly, but better than this morning. I think that nap helped. Didn’t it puppy _? Yes, it did!”_ Jihoon cooed patronizingly, as he re-arranged the pillow behind the larger boy and sat him up, patting his head fondly as he spoke.

Wonwoo grinned at the display, normally nobody would dare to be so condescendingly mothering with the oldest Hyung, but it suited Jihoon down to a T and if anything, Seungcheol actually seemed to enjoy the attention. “Maybe this will finally convince you to get your flu shot! If you think this is bad….imagine feeling like this for 3 weeks!” Wonwoo cautioned.

“You haven’t got your flu shot? It’s free at the campus Health center Cheol!. Everyone in shared accommodation is advised to get it. Why haven’t you got yours?” Jihoon asked, concerned.

“Uhhhhm” Seungcheol flinched, averting his gaze.

“Are you gonna tell him or shall I?” Wonwoo asked, his voice completely even.

Just then Mingyu sticks his head in the door “Aww….does the wittle sick puppy want me to make em his favourite chicken noodle soup?” he joined in on the light teasing.

“All of you can just fuck off!” Seungcheol mutters rebelliously, shoving the blanket off his torso in a fitful huff.

Jihoon grins and raises his eyebrows at him “I think he _does_ , does the _sicky-wicky_ - _puppy-wuppy_ want some _soupy-woupy_?” Jihoon cooed down again grinning at Seungcheol’s weakened and helpless state as he groaned, flushing an even brighter shade of red, and hid his face in his arms again.

Jihoon nods to confirm his acceptance on Seungcheol’s behalf, and Mingyu bustles off to the kitchen to make Chicken noodle soup for his patient, while his beleaguered boyfriend rubs soothingly at his stomach.

“I’m sorry…..It’s not fair to tease you when you’re ill…..I couldn’t resist” Jihoon said after the others left. “I’m not usually like this… _trust me_. When Seungkwan was sick in school I avoided him for like 2 months straight.. just to be safe. But you just look so adorable with your puffy red cheeks and I know you’re in pain but I just wanna….just wanna _squeeze them!”_ Jihoon admitted, opting on not squeezing, but patting Seungcheol cheeks gently.

“You’ll squeeze my cheeks…but you won’t spank em?” Seungcheol hummed thoughtfully. “Double standards much?” he adds, quirking an eyebrow.

Jihoon forgoes a speech for biting the inside of his cheek. It’s the fever, it’s _definitely_ the fever. It _has_ to be the fever that’s talking but the glint in Seungcheol’s eye is dangerously inviting.

“You haven’t answered my question” Jihoon deflects smoothly.

“What?” Seungcheol asked, curious.

“Why haven’t you got your flu jab?” He enquired, re-tucking the blankets around him.

“Ohhh….what’s with the all the questions! I thought I was meant to be resting, feels like I’m in a lecture here. Might as well **just go** to my evening lecture!” he moaned, turning his back on Jihoon.

…………………………………..

It’s not long before Mingyu is knocking on the door with his favored soup recipe. “Be careful, it’s hot!” He calls from the doorway as Jihoon takes the tray from him and settles it on Seungcheol’s lap.

Seungcheol holds the bowl at eye level, attempt to sniff experimentally but his nose is still blocked so he gingerly takes a sip and closes his eyes, savouring the taste of….. “ **Nothing!** I Can’t taste anything!” He huffs.

“I know Cheollie…. It’s because your nose is blocked….but you need to eat something. And Mingyu made it so you know it’s good. Try and remember what it tasted like last time.” Jihoon calms him.

“Ughhhhh” he groans, his only form of rebellion.

“Don’t _make_ me feed you Cheol!” Jihoon threatened, unsuccessfully because the suggestion seemed to make the older boy perk up and he looked up hopefully, eyes bright “You _want_ me to feed you?” Jihoon asked, and Seungcheol just nodded excitedly, handing the tray back over to him.

Jihoon makes a tutting noise and moves the tray over to the nightstand, settles on the edge of the bed and dips the soup spoon into the broth, blowing to cool it and when he’s satisfied it’s not going to burn his mouth, he brings it up close to Seungcheol’s lips so he doesn’t have to raise his head to take it. Seungcheol opens up and lets him press the spoon against his tongue, slurping it up gratefully. When Jihoon retracts the spoon, his hand lingers for a second too long, toying with the memory of the last time he fed Seungcheol; _Ice-cream in the kitchen_ , and how confused and aroused he had been after. He pushes back that memory because Seungcheol is sick for fucks sake and those thoughts have a place and time. He puts the spoon down and scrubs at his face for a second, before picking up another spoonful and bring it up to his patient’s lips. Seungcheol is watching his over the steam of the broth “What are you thinking about?” he rasps weakly.

“Uh….nothing. Just remembered something” Jihoon says, and it’s somewhat true.

Seungcheol purses his lips at his reluctance to share, then grins at him wide and open “Ice-cream” he confirms.

Jihoon flushes, caught out. “Shut-up…you’re sick…..behave yourself”

It's nice, having Jihoon baby him like this when he’s usually the responsible, in charge senior. – Jihoon makes sure Seungcheol drinks plenty and takes Paracetamol every 6 hours to keep his temperature down. Seungcheol almost knows he is the worst patient, but Jihoon doesn’t complain and continues to bring him soup and toast and endless refills of squash. He pillows his head in his lap, smoothing down his bangs late into the night. There's something natural about Jihoon's presence, even though they’ve only known each other for just over a month, it feels like he has always played such an integral role in Seungcheol's life.

…………………………………………

Jihoon books him in for his flu shot the following week. And because his senses are telling him Seungcheol won’t go, he reschedules his lunch meet up with a hormonal Seungkwan, _again_ , and takes Seungcheol to the appointment personally.

Seungcheol doesn’t make this easy either, he wants to stop at every hole in the road on their way there, pointing out suddenly interesting objects and buildings and Jihoon _knows_ what he’s trying to do and part of him thinks, if he’s _this_ nervous, maybe he shouldn’t push him to get his shot.

Granted, it's not like nursing him with a cold was that difficult but there had been moments when Jihoon had _honest to god_ considered taking Seungcheol to the hospital, generally after he coughed so hard he woke himself up. And if that was just a bad cold, imagine what the flu would do to him! No….he _needed_ this shot.

The wait in the Health clinic is short, but Seungcheol glances around wearily and fidgets, stippling his fingers against his knee fretfully until Jihoon takes his hand and smiles at him. It’s been a week and he looks mostly okay now, though a little sunken in around the eyes, a little tired, but otherwise like himself. He smiles back, but visibly tenses when his name is called and he seems so reluctant that Jihoon stands up first, sighs and glares at him dangerously. He stands and is tugged behind Jihoon and he shuffles wordlessly past the reception desk to the consultation room.

“Hello Mr Choi, I’m so happy you finally made an appointment! Your basketball coach has been rescheduling the vaccine for you for the last three years! I’m sure he’ll be happy too!” The nurse spoke as she greeted them.

“Uhh..yeah. I got, busy….you know how it is” He excuses.

The truth is, Seungcheol **hates** needles, he’s terrified of them in fact- but he doesn't want Jihoon to see him weak, he doesn't want to verbalize his distress either, so he wordlessly unbuttons his jacket, peels it off, drapes it over a chair and roll’s up his sleeve.

The nurse is busy chattering about ‘localized reactions’ and ‘antigenic shifts’ that he has a moment to relax and compose himself. But seconds later, the nurse spins around in her chair and his eyes close in on the **HUGE-FUCKING-NEEDLE** and he welps in surprise.

“Here-…..Are you afraid of needles?” The nurse asks, startled by his little noise of alarm.

“NO!” Seungcheol yelps unconvincingly, leaning away from the imposing syringe. He swears and jerks back, and Jihoon can't help but laugh at him a little. Seungcheol rolls his shoulders, straightens himself up, shakes his head and runs a hand through his hair. “Ok…let’s do this… _leeerroooy jeeennkkiins!”_

“Ooookay?....so if you can just sit straight, drop your arm to the side and I can-“ She instructs as Seungcheol scoots his chair further and further away instinctively.

“Hyung-Cheol, it’s _okay_ , you’ll hardly feel a thing” Jihoon reassured him, trying to still him in his chair.

“Actually, that’s **not** true, most people feel a sharp scratch, but its short lived” She piped up, rather unhelpfully.

Jihoon’s pretty much figured it out his boyfriend’s fear a week ago, but decides against teasing him, only because it really is starting to sound like Seungcheol can't breathe out of sheer panic, and Jihoon is having some trouble wrestling down the impulse to punch the nurse in the face, bundle him up and take him home.

“Can you **not** …. **please** …can’t you see he’s distressed enough as it is?” Jihoon berated her.

“Sorry…Ok, let’s try this again” She said, lowering the needle, re-sheathing it as she rolled her chair closer.

“You’re _very_ tense Mr Choi. You need to relax, this is an intramuscular injection in the deltoid muscle and the more you tense up, the more painful it will be” She confirmed, unsheathing the needle again and gripping Seungcheol’s upper arm, stretching the skin taut over the deltoid.  “You’re still too tense, if I inject now and you flinch the needle could snap and get lodged inside-“

 **“FUCK THIS SHIT I’M OUTTA HERE!”** Seungcheol yelled, bolting out of the chair and away from the looming needle.

 **“SEUNGCHEOL!”** Jihoon called after him, angrier then he intended but it’s effective in stilling the older boy “Sit down **this instant**!” He pointed at the chair Seungcheol had hurriedly vacated following the nurse’s graphic description of needle stick injuries.

“But… _Jihoonie_ ” Seungcheol sobbed dropping his head in embarrassment, before relenting and flopping down again. Jihoon gripped him via the shoulders to secure him in place, but following rapid reflection, he quickly decided on an alternative tactic.

Dragging his gaze away from where the nurse was prepping the needle again, for a moment to meet Seungcheol's hideously embarrassed eyes. “Listen Cheol, I need to ask you something really important, are you listening!” Jihoon said, framing the older boys face and turning it away from the nurse’s direction. “Remember on Halloween night, when you pulled out those cuffs and I thought you were going to use them?”

“Yeah….” Seungcheol confirmed, swallowing thickly and coughing nervously, he’s at least 90% sure it's a diversionary tactic but he can’t help but be drawn in.

“Do you still have them?” Jihoon asked, lowering his voice to a gentle caress.

“Yeah…..can we use them?” Seungcheol asked hopeful and breathless.

“All done!” The nurses chimed happily, and Seungcheol snapped his head back around to watch her dump the used syringe in the sharps box, a cotton gauze pad pressed against his upper arm.

He looked at her, then back to Jihoon, then back to her again, then down at his arm, then back to Jihoon. “You tricked me” he spoke quietly, not exactly a proportionate response for the betrayal he felt.

“No… I didn’t …I just _distracted_ you….you _know_ why I brought you here. You needed that injection Hyung and you weren’t being very compliant, in my opinion the end justifies the means!” Jihoon said, tossing him his jacket.

“Would you like a lollipop?” The nurse asked, holding open a box of assorted flavours. Seungcheol reached in and grabbed a fistful before Jihoon smacks his hand away, grinning.

“Don’t be greedy! Just take one Cheol….-You’ll spoil your dinner!” Jihoon chided.

…………………………………………………

“You’ve been very quiet….are you okay?” Jihoon stopped walking, turning to check on his boyfriend loitering behind him as they walked back towards the house. Seungcheol sucked on his selected lollipop along the way but was mostly quiet, observing.

He moved the lollipop to the side of his cheek, bulging it “You tricked me” He repeated.

Jihoon rolled his eyes and sighed “Uh…still upset about that? Look-“

“You made me think we were going to use the cuffs…….you tricked me..” he explained a little more.

“Hmm..so _that’s_ why you are upset. Well..I never said we _wouldn’t_ use them….did I?” Jihoon asked.

There was a short contemplative silence, while Seungcheol threw those words around his head, his brain checked, double and triple checked for a hidden meaning, retraction clause or falsity, then he took a deep breath and spoke again…..” _You tricked me”_ seemingly missing Jihoon’s meaning altogether.

 **“Omo!”** Jihoon huffed throwing his hands in the air “I forgot how simple minded you can be….Cheol-Hyung…what I was _trying_ to say was…. _Yes_ , if you want, I’d very much like to use the cuffs!”

Seungcheol stares at him, his expression is completely serious, and then his mouth quirks up at the corners.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is brought to you by.  
> 1) How sweet is it to find someone who is ready to take care of you when you're so sick. Ugh...just...so many feels. I would totally look after Seungcheol if he was ill. ^_^  
> 2) I bet you he is whiny though....WHHYYYYY! Man flu XD  
> 3) Bet you he's adorable though when he's sick as well.....somebody needs to look after the oldest Hyung!  
> 4) Spanking.....think about it.  
> 5) Seriously....get your fucking flu jab. I had flu at college once and I never..NEVER want to have it again. Awful.


	14. Anger and apologies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Revision, cheering and rewards

Jihoon had almost let himself forget what a huge fucking distraction Choi-Seungcheol could be when there was work to be done. Even when it’s Seungcheol who needs to get some studying done, he’s a distraction upon himself and now that he’s roped Jihoon into helping him prepare for an upcoming quiz, he’s managed to turn Jihoon into a distraction too.

“You are assessing an outpatient in an orthopedic clinic, their medical notes state that 3 of their 4 rotator cuff muscles have been torn previously…… _rotator cuffs?_ Isn’t that like…a piece of car equipment? **No?** _Hey don’t laugh!....._ uhm… _sorry nevermind_ … Which of the following muscles cannot be considered as possibly torn? A: Teres Minor, B: Teres Major, C Supraspinatus?... _that’s a mouthful_ , and D: Infraspinatus?” Jihoon finishes asking the question and looks down expectantly and Seungcheol.

Seungcheol is watching him dangle his legs from his perch on the desk thoughtfully, a small grin turning up the corners of his mouth. “What do I get for answering it correctly?” he asked, leaning back in the chair.

“You get to prepare for your quiz and….hopefully you get a good result and... I might…might _even_ pat you on the head if you behave” Jihoon states dryly, looking up at the older boy over the top of the question paper.

“Hmm…..It’s B, Teres Major” Seungcheol answers, relaxed.

Jihoon glances down at the desk, where he has the answer paper tucked underneath a notebook. “Correct! _Goood boy!”_ He coos “Very good, ok next question” he looks back at the quiz sheet again.

“Ok, Which is the most appropriate gait sequence when you are instructing a person who has had a left CVA- _I suppose you should know what that means_ -and right lower extremity hemiparesis to use a quad cane….. _the fuck?!_ I think I recognized like three of those words!” Jihoon said shaking his head in confusion.

“I know the answer. **BUT** …If I answer this correctly…. _I want a kiss_ ” Seungcheol negotiated.

“No Cheol…you have a quiz tomorrow! You need to focus! We already wasted an hour of you demonstrating those _‘pressure points’_ on me. Ddon’t think I don’t know what you were doing….I know that’s not part of your quiz Cheol-you just wanted to feel me up!” Jihoon said, gesturing threateningly with the quiz paper.

“Wasted an hour?! _Ouch_ ….that wasn’t a waste…that was good- _practical_ \- analysis. If I hadn’t practiced that-how else would I have known how ticklish your thighs are?” He said, leering, reaching one hand up along the smaller boy’s knee and sliding it up his inner thigh.

“Focus!” Jihoon snapped, slapping away the wondering hand, admittedly not with much force behind it.

“Ouuh…C’mon baby…give me some incentive! You can’t expect to sit there…looking so fucking gorgeous and not let me touch you a little…we should have a reward program in place. Reward me every time I get something right!” He pouted, rubbing at the reddening mark on his hand.

“Hmm...Ok. That seems fair. _**Now answer the question!”**_ Jihoon said, shaking the page at him.

“Ughh…Place cane in left upper extremity, encourage cane, then right lower extremity, then left upper extremity gait sequence” Seungcheol recited, flopping back into his chair.

“Uhm…..I _think_ that’s correct…..Yes…..yes it is……. _Gooood boy!”_ Jihoon cooed once more. “Ok, and I will _reward_ you with…… a pat on the head!” He said, reaching down from his perch on the edge of the desk to pat the top of Seungcheol’s head condescendingly- once, twice and on the third pat he’s pulled off the table and straight into Seungcheol’s lap by the older boys grip suddenly around his wrist.

“EHHeeeyy! Cheol-stop!” Jihoon protests, as he is encircled by strong arms, keeping him pinned in Seungcheol's lap “If you don’t stop I will have to leave…I can’t have you failing your quiz because I'm distracting you!” Jihoon said.

“ **No** , you’re not a distraction….you’re _motivating_ me….I’m so _motivated_ right now….can you feel how _motivated_ I am” Seungcheol murmured in the smaller boys ear, jerking his hips up, pressing his semi against the back of Jihoon’s thigh as if to prove a point.

“Cheollliee!” Jihoon whined, breaking out into giggles as one of Seungcheol’s hands slipped from around his waist to trace in between his legs, along the seam of his shorts, tickling the creamy skin exposed, fingers skirting the edge of the fabric, before slipping underneath. “Huhhhhmm…. _C-cheol_ …” He groaned, heating up. “One…just one more question…..answer one more and….then we can stop for _….for fun_ ” He said in between hitches of breath as Seungcheol’s hand continued to tease him.

“One more? One more question? Fine” Seungcheol said, stilling the motions of his wandering hand.

“Let me up…. Can’t focus sitting here!” Jihoon said, Seungcheol sighed and loosened his grip, allowing him to stand. Jihoon extracted himself from his lap and moved to stand a little away from him, slowly inching backwards towards the door.

“Ok…..final question” He drawled slowly, darting his eyes up at Seungcheol as he spoke, he reached behind his back and fumbled for the door knob when his back hit the door. “Let me see…which question….uhmmm”

Seungcheol sat forward in his chair, eyeing him suspiciously “Why are you by the door?….where do you think you’re going Jihoonie?” he asked, hands braced on his knees and ready to pounce.

“OK..LAST question!....How long _**...willittakeforyoutocatchme!**_ ” He blurted quickly, yanking the door open- tossing the quiz papers at Seungcheol in distraction and darting out the door.

The papers were still floating gracefully to the floor when Seungcheol bolted out right behind him in seconds, reflexes lightening quick, rounding the corner and speeding down the hallway towards the staircase.

Jihoon narrowly averted Hoshi in the hallway, making his way to his own room balancing a plate of milk and cookies precariously. Jihoon caught a glimpse of Hoshi’s startled face as he bound past him-shrieking as he fled from his boyfriend’s room. He could vaguely hear Hoshi cursing behind him as Seungcheol shoved past him too, forcing him to lose his balance and scatter his items “ _ **MY OREOS!”**_ he shrieked.

Jihoon bolted down the steps,two steps at a time and nearly slipped due to the lack of grip of his socks- but it didn’t matter- because Seungcheol hadn’t caught him yet.

 _Oh my god, I might actually outrun him_ -Jihoon thinks, and has half a second to be proud of himself for that before Seungcheol vaults past him, skipping the last hurdle of steps all at once, twisting on the banister and locking him in. Jihoon yelps in surprise and tilts backwards, slipping and landing hard on his ass on the step behind him.

 **“Game over Jihoonie”** Seungcheol says, bracing himself on the stair bannister, as he stood imposing above Jihoon’s figure. Seungcheol had barely broken a sweat, was breathing evenly but gaze focused and predatory “I’m not great at timing myself, but I think that was approximately.. 10 seconds? Would you agree baby?” he said, voice raspy.

Jihoon couldn’t stop himself from giggling at the ridiculousness of it all, he hadn’t really had a plan when he dashed out of the room, he just wanted to make it as fun and awkward as possible for his Hyung, one out of two isn't bad he thinks. “Sorry Cheol…..hmmf….should…have known better not to try and outrun you!” he says, trying to muffle his laughter whilst shrinking under the older boy’s predatory gaze.

“Well…you’ve learnt your lesson and I’ve answered all your questions correctly so far” Seungcheol says, slanting a sly grin his way. “I’m going to go easy on you because **I do** enjoy it when we play….but I think I deserve my reward now” Seungcheol said, licking his lips ever-so-slightly, then he is grabbing Jihoon round the waist, looping his hand under his knees and scooping him up.

Jihoon doesn’t put up a fight because really, what’s the point, Seungcheol’s patience is clipped even at the best of times, so he just wraps his arms around Seungcheol’s neck and allows himself to be carried back upstairs.

“Clean up this mess Hosh-“ Seungcheol says, passing Hoshi in the hallway, mourning the loss of his midnight snack, drenched in milk and collecting cookie crumbs from the floor. Hoshi glares at him and open his mouth to speak but Jihoon chirps up instead. “Sorry--Hoshi…I’ll buy you more Oreo’s!”

Seungcheol tossed him on the bed as they entered and locked the door behind him, turning the key for good measure. “My turn to ask the questions Jihoonie….” He said, advancing on the slighter figure, trembling in adrenaline and excitement on the bed. Seungcheol smiles and holds up both hands demonstratively “Which hand would you like to get tickled to death with?” He asks, grinning knowingly.

Jihoon scooted up on the bed further away from him “A broken one….if you even try-“

“WRONG answer!” Seungcheol interrupted and Jihoon tries for a glare as the older boy wraps one strong hand around his ankle, pulls him toward the foot of the bed and holds the ankle up against his chest.

He slips his left hand down Jihoon’s knee and then to the inside of his thigh and Jihoon openly squeals as he is tickled mercilessly, writhing on the bed and kicking out with his free foot. “Cheol!!! Cheoll! Stop!! _Oh-shit_ …I’m..gonna wet myself!!”” Jihoon squealed, trying in vain to jerk his ankle out of the older boy’s iron grip, back arching off the bed as his senses over fired.

Seungcheol laughed maniacally as he teased him, then chuckled as Jihoon tensed and cupped himself through his shorts, eyes widening a fraction. “Ch-cheol!” he gasped. Seungcheol narrowed his eyes, curious, inquisitive--and continued tickling. “Hmmm…really? You _really_ gonna piss yourself if I keep going?” he asked, easing his grip on the ankle and pressing a kiss to the inside, around the indentation of his bruising grip, then working lower, eyes locked on the smaller boy’s.

“Cheol-I’m not kidding…I’m really sensitive and I had that huge bottle of Cherryade earlier!” Jihoon whimpered, trying to catch his breath.

“Maybe I should keep tickling you then” he said, cocking his head and grinning slightly, hand slipping into position again. “Maybe I wanna see you piss yourself….who know’s, maybe I would _enjoy_ it” he said, quirking one brow as his lips descended lower on the extended leg, teasing the delicate skin along the crease of Jihoon’s knee.

“Cheol— _ahh_ ” Jihoon huffed, wrought with emotions. There was a small degree of excitement, because he was discovering another one of Seungcheol’s kinks. The other emotion was something not unlike apprehension; Seungcheol was hinting at something he wanted, but Jihoon was a tad skeptical as to _**how**_ exactly it would be enjoyable for either of them.

 _It would be kinda hot_ , Jihoon thought, and immediately attempted to unthink-because it should be gross… _right?_

“If you’re saying…what _I think_ you’re saying Cheol….You’re a kinky shit Hyung” Jihoon said, feeling the thrill of discovery peaking deep in his chest, and he bit his lower lip, eyes following the movement of the older boy’s hands, sliding up and down the inside of his thigh.

Seungcheol just looks at him, eyes hooded, he's the picture of caught-out sheepishness, except for the carefully hidden arousal in his eyes. He seems to sense Jihoon’s hesitancy because he’s withdrawing his hand and saying “I’m not saying it’s something I’m into…I’m just saying… _I’ll try anything once”_

“I might agree with you **…..IF** you didn’t have a quiz to revise for tomorrow morning!— ** _You need to revise!”_ ** Jihoon said, moving to sit up again and Seungcheol lets him.

They get back to the matter at hand, helping Seungcheol revise. And maybe later that night when Jihoon's lying in bed- he’ll think about the other matter at hand-how he was too tractable at indulging all of Seungcheol’s insane fucking whims. Was he _actually_ just about to consider piss play with his boyfriend of 6 weeks!?

……………………………………………….

 

If Jihoon were to make a list of things he fucking hated-and, admittedly, _it would be a pretty long list_ -it would start with Cheerleaders and end with Vegans probably.

There are exactly four people who know the reasons for Jihoon’s dislike of cheerleaders; Seungkwan knows, because he was the one to warn Jihoon of his ex in the first place; Joshua knows because he was there when things fell through and he helped Jihoon pick up the pieces; and Jeonghan knew because he happened to be walking into the toilet at school when Jihoon’s head was mercilessly dunked by his ex’s new/old boyfriend.

Seungcheol was the fourth. He knew of Jihoon’s sad history but nevertheless he requested Jihoon cheer for him at his first home game of the season.  Jihoon has been turning the event over in his mind a lot. He knew that people dealt with bad memories in a variety of different ways, they block it out, they create better memories, they find a new perspective of seeing things.  Jihoon was dealing with his bad memories of cheerleaders by facing them head on, by going to Seungcheol’s match with Seungkwan and actually cheering for him from the bleachers. The problem is….

“I don’t know what to say…..or..how to do it properly. I’ve only sorta cheered for him once, and that was during se--Jihoon stops himself automatically, and then winces. It's not smart, to let Seungkwan know shit like that "It’s different cheering when there is a huge crowd—I mean he might not even hear me over all this noise"

"So what's the problem?" Seungkwan says. "That he _won’t_ hear you or that he _might_ hear you? I though you wanted to support him? " Seungkwan reminds him.

“I do want to support him. Did you know these games can last up to two and a half hours! Am I meant to cheer through the whole thing?” Jihoon looks at his watch, it’s almost game time, he sighs heavily, and unwraps the plastic packaging of his foam finger.

“You’ve preformed publically before, it’s just like that..do it.. **go** , _**scream your little heart out!”** _ Seungkwan said, pushing him to stand.

“Yeah…ok!” Jihoon says, twisting the edge of his foam finger anxiously as he watched the players take the court.

Once the game actually starts, Jihoon shoves his phone into his jacket pocket, dons the foam finger and watches. He'd never thought he would admit it, but there's something almost transcendent about watching Seungcheol play. He's always heard that Seungcheol had talent- but it floors him to see it in action.

Feeling a little brave, Jihoon stood up. "Go K-U" he said barely above a whisper, then Seungkwan nudged him "GO K-U" he repeated, a little louder, and Seungkwan nudged him in encouragement again.

**Commentator: *Choi puts in his first, Jeon will find Choi and Choi with the reverse! Choi comes flying off that baseline!***

And then, he watched, as Seungcheol stole the ball and dribbled it towards the goal and suddenly, something snapped in him—some small cheerleading part of him that had always been there, lurking under the surface, under all that loathsome disregard--

"GO CHEOL! **OH MY GOD!!!** GOOOO!" Seungkwan covered his ears as Jihoon bellowed, standing on his chair and waving his foam finger around in excitement.

**Commentator: *Choi tries again, backs in-backs in---forward shot—and DOWN THE HOLE!-he makes it look so easy!***

“OH WOW, GO CHEOL **GO!** YES, YES YESS!!!- Jihoon cheering Loudly, breaking out into a considerable amount of elated dancing. “ Oh my god, did you see that Seungkwan…he was amazing _did you_ see that?" Jihoon asked excitedly, returning to his seat as the ball was centered in the court again.

Seungkwan nodded, amused and started to speak “Yes….I did see—well done Ji-

 **Commentator:  *Here comes Kim opening the floor for Choi—and he passes-will** **somebody** **challenge-NO!***

 **“** GO CHEOL GO! YES, YES!! WOOAAHHH!” Jihoon interrupted, jumping out of his seat with another round of cheering.

“Wow, Jihoonie, you’re really getting into-

“YES! GOOOO! HOLY SHIT! YOU’RE AMAZING! GO-GO…YEAAHHH!” Jihoon flails happily. Knocking in to Seungkwan as he cheers again.

**Commentator: *And here is Choi with the steal, he’s got five left on the shot clock, he pulls back, JUMP SHOT AND HE’S GOT IT!***

“Ok….you’re going to have to calm down hun!” Seungkwan said, pulling him down in his chair-for all of 4 seconds before

“OH MY GOD- HE’S ON FIRE! GO CHEOL! GO!! YESSS! RUN, RUN YOU BEAUTIFUL SON OF A BITCH! YES!

**Commentator:*We’ve got a mismatch with Choi being defended by Soon-min, great pass from Kim Mingyu and Seungcheol Choi has the ball and DOWN THE HOLE IT GOES!***

WOOAHH! AWESOME!, what a SHOT, did you guys see that? Did you see that dunk? _He’s unbelievable!_ So amazing! He’s a fucking machine!” Jihoon cheered enthusiastically.

“I wish J+J were here to witness your unravelling, they won’t believe me when I tell them” Seungkwan says flatly, shaking his head.

............................................

 

A 15 minute half time is called and Jihoon takes a breather, dropping down on the bleachers next to an unamused Seungkwan.

“Man—I’m exhausted and I’m just cheering! Imagine how Cheol-Hyung and Mingyu-Hyung feel!” Jihoon ponders, breathing laboured.

“Jihoon?” A voice calls out from below them and Jihoon recognizes the source, a guy he was resoanbly friendly with from his Music History lectures.

“Uhm…hi…Jin-young, how are you? Are you on the team?” Jihoon says, unsure as the tall student approaches them, dressed in the basketball gear, wearing a sub bib.

“Yeah! I joined at the start of term..I used to play on my high school team, I captained actually, and I wanted to keep it up. It’s all 'political' here though…got to serve my time on the sub bench first, before they let me play” he explained bitterly.

“I don’t know if I would call it political…one of our friends Mingyu was on the sub bench for ages and he’s playing tonight. Everyone gets their chance to shine, I'm sure it's just strategic” Jihoon defended.

“Huh..you know Mingyu? He’s alright…..he seems like a genuine guy, none of that self aggrandizing bullshit you get with some of the senior players, don’t even get me started on the Captain!” Jin-Young says obliviously, missing the scowl that crosses Jihoon’s face.

Seungkwan sees it however and changes the subject quickly to avoid confrontation “How do you guys know each other?” Seungkwan asked.

“We have the same Music History class…..Tuesday evening, Jihoon threw a book at my head, I thought it was a weird way of trying to get my attention, turns out he was just a lousy throw” Jin Young says, breaking out into a chuckle.

“Oh shit yes! _Sorry_ …again about that, I was aiming for Joshua’s head, But Jin-Young got in the way” Jihoon clarified for Seungkwan’s benefit “It’s your own fault though..…you’re kinda tall” Jihoon offered..

“It’s cool…I didn’t know you were on the cheer team. Why haven’t I seen you at practice before?” Jin-young asks.

“I’m not! Oh god no! I’m…….not on the cheer team. I didn’t realize how loud I was being…wow this is embarrassing!” Jihoon murmured, hiding his face in his hands. “I’m just trying to….be supportive of my boyfriend….guess I got a little excited” he said.

“Oh…your boyfriend’s on the team?” Jin Young asked, eyes narrowing “Who is he?”

 _“Your team captain”_ Seungkwan answered for Jihoon smugly “Who’s about to grace us with his presence” he adds, as he spots Seungcheol and Mingyu, zigzagging through the seats towards them.

“Hey you guyyyss!” Mingyu greeted first, taking a seat on the bleachers next to Seungkwan.  Seungcheol shares a strained smile with Jin-Young, then ruffles Jihoon’s hair affectionately “So happy you came to support us….but of course I knew that… because I could hear little Jihoonie screaming his little lungs out!” Mingyu teased.

"I told you…" Seungkwan says, elbowing Jihoon in the ribs, "You need to calm the fuck down, you remind me of those obsessive cheerleading girlfriends at school- _eugh!"_

“Uhmm…yeah. This is so embarrassing…I got carried away and I didn’t think I could. I’ll be quite now and redeem myself” Jihoon said, blushing.

“What! No-Jihoonie! I loved it! I was so pumped hearing you cheer. You don’t understand how motivating it was!” Seungcheol said, griping the smaller boy by the shoulders.

“Maybe throw in a few GO-MINGYU’S as well….you know it doesn’t all have to be about Cheol…I’m killing it out there and…nobody cares!” Mingyu said, melodramatically sullen.

Jihoon feels better for knowing this “I can do that….Work it Mingyu!” He practices quietly.

“Yeah! Just like that!” Mingyu affirms.

“What do I have to do to get you screaming my name? Jin-Young adds. The way Seungcheol's eyes flash dangerously at that comment is missed by everyone but Seungkwan, the master of deflection, who just laughs the suggestion off quickly.

"Yeah—but he doesn’t _need_ to cheer for you cause you’re just warming the bench Jin" Seungkwan says, waving a hand dismissively.

 The conversation moves on, to discuss their impending first win of the season and the after party and Seungcheol narrows his eyes at Jin-Young’s retreating back, but lets it drop.

“There is an after party-one of the other players is hosting it at his house, you guys should come!” Mingyu suggests hopefully. “It would be nice to go to a party that I’m not providing for, for a change!”

“Let's see...…Are you guys just gonna sit around- get wasted and talk about the game and how great Seungcheol-Hyung is?” Seungkwan asked.

“Yeah… _you got a problem with that_?” Seungcheol asked, wiping the sweat off his forehead and shooting him an inquisitive look.

“Nope….count me in!” Seungkwan says.

…………………………………………….

**Commentator: *Choi surrounded by four and he still takes it in with a glide! You can’t stop him, don’t even bother googling it cause there is no answer!***

Jihoon’s promise to reign himself in is quickly retracted once the second half starts. “Yeah…yeah I know Boo…I know said I would try and contain myself but- OH-OH-OH YESSSS!!!”

**Commentator: *Choi has the ball, his 3 rd fast break, he takes it away and he HAMMERS IT DOWN!***

“WOAAAHH DID YOU SEE THAT- UNSTOPPABLE! FUCKING MACHINE! CHEOL-CHEOL-CHEOL!” Jihoon cries alongside riotous cheers of the other supporters.

**Commentator: *Final seconds—and Choi spins—Choi drives—and he’s going UP AND UNDER-WOAH!***

The win comes as no surprise to anyone who has a brief understanding of Basketball-  the opposing team were severely outmatched and suffer a humiliating defeat as the home crowd cheers wildly for the successors. It could all be put down to a series of events, poor substitution patterns, technical fouls and a weaker starting line-up team- but those facts mean nothing to Jihoon- they don’t stop him from feeling like their win is all because of Seungcheol, who is obviously the Korean re-incarnation of LeBronn James, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant put togther-he says as much to Seungkwan.

“Jihoon, I get it..your boyfriend is _amazing_..…but none of those players are dead so how can he be a re-incarnation of any of them?” Seungkwan dismisses casually, as they wait outside the gym for the players to shower and dress.

“Ok..maybe he’s not the re-incarnation of them….but he’s like…their love child” Jihoon says, with all seriousness.

“That’s even less probable!” Seungkwan laughs.

“So..that guy from your class…Jin-young…he’s a little odd ..no?” Seungkwan asked.

“Hmm..what do you mean?” Jihoon asked, curious.

“Just..the _way_ he spoke about you, did you see the look Seungcheol-Hyung gave him when-“

“Hey, you guys ready?” Seungcheol shouts out as he approached them from behind, wrapping an arm around Jihoon’s shoulders. “What are you guys talking about?” he asks innocently.

“Nothin….just  teasing Jihoon about **_fangirling_** hard over you!” Seungkwan says, grinning at the furious pink shade Jihoon’s face explodes in.

 

......................................

Jihoon and Seungcheol walked a little ways behind the others as they headed toward the game after party. They walked amicably for a block while Jihoon rails on about the game--how spectacular Seungcheol was on the court, how flawless, flawsome even!--until finally he pauses for breath.

“Cheol, I know I’m your boyfriend and I would cheer for you if you just tied your shoelaces successfully..but…that aside…. you were…really _amazing_. I don’t watch a lot of sports and I never thought I could be **this** excited about anybody winning but you …. ** _blew me away_** ” Jihoon murmurs a little shyly. Seungcheol’s hand is still on the back of Jihoon's neck, and now that Jihoon looks, his eyes are drooping, crinkled up in the corners, and his smile is more dopey than usual. He feels like such a _fanboy_ and blushes intensely. “Say something you cocky bastard….I’m **fan-boying** over here and you’ve hardly said two words to me” Jihoon whines.

Seungcheol grinned smugly in response as he ran those words through his head a few times then reached down to take the younger boy’s hand, intertwining their fingers. “I know. Jihoonie, I’m not going to pretend like I don’t get a lot of praise, cause I know.. I’m good and everyone tells me about it- all the time. Even people that don’t like me all that much. But hearing you say it…. _it’s different._ **God** -it makes me so _happy_. It means a million times more hearing it from you” Seungcheol said squeezing Jihoon's hand gently.

And when Seungcheol beams at him- Jihoon can’t think of why he put up so much resistance to the idea of cheering in the first place. “Cheol, I don’t know much about sports, my opinion should mean nothing to you, I just thought…. _wow_ …you were unbelievable out there…like a machine” Jihoon praised.

“Off course your opinion means a lot, you’re my boyfriend…I _want_ to impress you. Hearing you tonight… _cheering_ ….I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited to win anything. I was so pumped…I kept pushing myself cause I wanted to keep _hearing_ you…I guess I’m not talking much now cause I’m busy thinking about **_the reward_ ** I’m due for impressing you” Seungcheol replies with a preoccupied, half-smile.

Jihoon renews the blush on his cheeks, pouts then punches him in the arm weakly “I’ve got something in mind….”

………….

Seungcheol already has a headache. _Already_.

When they reached their destination, Seungcheol slips into the party mode easily, getting friendly waves, familiar nods, generous pats on the back and hugs from the people milling around, because one of the advantages of being on the basketball team is that everyone knows you.

Incidentally, one of the _disadvantages_ of being on the basketball team is the very same thing: **_everyone knows you_** ; and it’s not long after they arrive that Seungcheol starts sporting that familiar look on his face, the _‘I want to set fire to this place and everyone in it’_ look _._

He has been roped into discussing his recipe for success and strategy with more than a dozen strangers, but now he’s exhausted and socializing is not high on his list of priorities at the moment, not when he could be back in his room, partaking in a lazy make-out session with his boyfriend.

But he’s lost track of Mingyu and Jihoon soon after they arrived and although he spots Seungkwan in the corner of the room monopolizing the small Karaoke station, he avoids him because -heaven forbid he gets pulled into a duet right now. So he leans up against a convenient wall and watches the milieu of the after party with a faint frown. It only takes Seungcheol 1 minute to spot Jihoon across the room, and it only takes him a fraction of a second to plot for Jin-Young’s painful death.

............................

Jihoon had been quietly observing Seungcheol from the opposite end of the room and he’s relieved to find that it’s not just him who’s enamoured-no one it seems is immune to Seungcheol’s considerable charm. He was one of those people that everyone gravitated towards. The room parted for Seungcheol, everyone wants to speak to him and listen to him. Never mind the obvious boredom and frustration painted on the older boy’s face.

Jihoon chuckles to himself as he witnesses Seungcheol forced to recount one of his recent plays to a random stranger at request, he does it begrudgingly, although he looks like he’s about to hammer the strangers head in the wall instead. Jihoon has considered texting him with a promise to reward him for his patience if he holds out a little longer but as he reaches in to pull out his phone, a weight settles against his shoulder and he turns his head to see Jin-young standing next to him.

“Hey Jihoon! Great to see you again…. Are you enjoying the party?-- _Don’t answer that_ \--I know you’re not, these people have the worst taste in music huh!” Jin-young says, smiling at him.

“Uhh..well.. _yeah_ , but not everyone can have my distinct and awesome music preferences…I try not to judge the lesser people too harshly” Jihoon jokes in return.

“I hate to start talking about college work at a party but I haven’t really seen you outside of classes and I wanted to ask what you thought of our latest assignment? Was it just me or do you think they’re throwing up random assignments titles to keep us busy?” Jin-Young asked, leaning down to speak closer to Jihoon.

“Oh yeah! Complete waste of time. Can you believe they didn’t even grade our last assignment! I was furious, I lost my work 24 hours before submission and spent the entire weekend in the library working on it….then they tell us it was ungraded! What a joke!” Jihoon emphasizes.

“Woah really? That sucks. If you haven’t made a start on this coming assignment…maybe you’d like to work on it together? I know a few people who are splitting the sections up and swapping notes….we could.. _help each other out?_ It’s just a thought?” Jin young offered.

"Your ass must be so jealous of the shit that’s coming out of your mouth Jin-young" Seungcheol cuts in, stepping up to them. Jihoon wrenches around in one movement and blinks at him incredulously. " _Swapping notes_? _Helping_ Jihoon with his assignments? You’re so full of **shit** -how about you run along and try and entertain somebody else” he adds, pushing past Jihoon to stalk over to Jin-young.

Jin Young takes one look between them-at Seungcheol's frown, Jihoon' open-mouthed gape-and walks away with a self satisfied smirk, eyes never straying from Jihoon. It takes Jihoon less than a minute to get himself together.

"Cheol--Hyung…." he says, clenching and unclenching his fists in anger "What--the-- fuck dude! Why are you being a dick to him? That was totally uncalled for!”

“Please Jihoonie, that guy only wanted one thing, he’s fishing around you all night- I was just setting things straight for him. Can’t you see the way he was looking at you an-“

"Spare me," Jihoon replies, as Seungcheol leers and gets all up in his personal space. Not that he hadn't been expecting this response at some time or another, Seungcheol really was possessive in every respect, but that was just plain rude.

"You think I’m being paranoid? You think he just wants to swap notes, have coffee and be friends? He doesn’t- _trust me._ He wants to swap saliva and bed you" he says, practically into Jihoon's cheek. "Whether you have a boyfriend or not, c’mon don’t be mad at me" he murmurs against Jihoon ear, pressing his lips against the shell.

Jihoon takes a smooth step backwards, out of Seungcheol’s reach. "You’re unbelievable, just cause that’s all **you** can think of doesn’t mean everyone else is thinking the same. You can’t control who I make friends with- _despite what you might think_. He’s a friendly guy from class and you just humiliated him to boost your own ego-which really- _really_ doesn’t need inflating anymore Seungcheol"

Seungcheol frowned at the loss of contact “I’m not trying to control your friends- I’m just telling you I don’t like him- my gut tells me there’s something off about him. Call me old fashioned but the way he acts around you isn’t 'socially acceptable' when he knows you have a boyfriend. I can tell he’s being friendly for a reason Jihoonie, it’s not unconditional” Seungcheol said, trying to pull the smaller boy closer to him.

"Could you _try_ not to think with your dick for five minutes?" Jihoon returns easily, pushing the older boy away “Maybe you think you recognize his type because you’re projecting! The only person who’s being sociably unacceptable here- _is you!”_

The usual warmth, opened door look of Seungcheol's face, slams closed at once. He blinks at Jihoon, stunned, like Jihoon's punched him in the stomach, and Jihoon ignores how his insides wince internally."Uhm…..but….I wasn’t trying to upset you….I just go with my gut on these things and it got a bad feeling about him" Seungcheol says, looking like he regrets it. "I’m sorry….I just…… _I’ll stop_ "

"We’re at a party Cheol, can’t you try and be less of a dick…I know you have a lot of fans but you’re trying really hard to make enemies” Jihoon hisses and Seungcheol leans away from him, stung “I’m going to go and apologize on your behalf-seeing as you can’t manage an ounce of social decorum right now" Jihoon says, turning and walking away from him.

Seungcheol slumps against the wall when Jihoon leaves, huffing a little in disappointment. Usually his gut feelings are …fine-tuned. They keep him out of trouble and he relies on them to navigate a barrage of emotional obstacles. They’re also responsible for making him so fucking possessive of things that mean a lot to him. Usually it’s appreciated, but tonight it’s getting him in hot water with Jihoon and he feels like denting the plasterboard with his head it upsets him so much. Maybe Jin-Young **_was_** just being friendly, maybe Seungcheol was too on edge to notice. He doesn’t know. What he _ **does** _ know is that he’s not going to stand around sulking after Jihoon when he doesn’t want to be near him.

“Hey, Min, Look, I’m beat and…you know I get moody when I’m tired so I’m going to go home. Can you keep an eye on Jihoonie for me? Make sure he gets back to his dorm safe after the party?” Seungcheol requests, mood low but attempting a smile.

“Uh, Yeah off course….are you ok Hyung?” Mingyu asked, wrapping an arm around the older boy’s shoulder comfortingly.

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine…..just feel like shit” Seungcheol admitted, completely contradicting himself and biting back a completely unwelcome frown.

 

…………………………………………….

Jihoon would like nothing more than to pretend nothing is wrong and just let Seungcheol act how he wants, but Jin-young’s in his class and to leave things as they were would be too awkward the next time they have to work with each other.

“Hey, Jin!” Jihoon says, sidling up next to the other student leaning against a wall. “Look, I’m sorry about Seungcheol Hyung, he…..just ignore him Ok, he acts before he thinks. I hope you’re not upset about what he said, I think he’s just tired.” Jihoon asked.

“Ha-no! I would have to respect him allow his comments to effect me, _and I don’t._ All bark and no bite-I’m familiar with his type. You seem to have him whipped though.... I heard you talking to him and telling him to back off, he left with his tail between his legs, which is more than enough payback for me.” Jin-Young said callously.

Jihoon feels himself color, bile building in his throat and forcibly ignores it. “He’s not whipped!” he bit out curtly, then he paused and took a deep breath “…I just told him not to…talk to people like that and assume things. I told him you were just being nice and he shouldn’t have been so rude to you, maybe I was wrong!” he finished.

“So you’re apologizing for him..Ha, don’t bother. You know- these college seniors, they’re territorial -they’re like _Dinosaurs,_ they’ve been around for a while and think they’re the top of the food chain and always will be, like nothing can touch them, but they haven’t met Jin-Young-The Meteorite!” he says confidentally, grinning at Jihoon, his expression approaching malicious.

“Uhm-what?” that has to be the lamest metaphor he’s ever heard “-I just came to apologize on Cheol-Hyung’s behalf because…..well he’s not likely to. But _whatever_..See you in class” Jihoon said, turning slightly baffled at the other boys behaviour.

Jin-Young pulls him back round to face him “Apologies are just words Jihoon, if you really want to make it up to me….there is a room free out the back, we could have some fun” he teases, raking his eyes up and back down Jihoon's body .

“ **What?!** Are you… **fucking serious?** Did you not just hear what I said?! I just….I just told my boyfriend off because I thought he was being paranoid about you and ….he was fucking right! Dude… **not cool.”** Jihoon said, shaking his head and moving to step around him.. Jin-young darted in front of him, blocking his exit and braced his hands on either side of Jihoon’s shoulder against the wall.

“Hey-don’t be like that, we can have some fun and he doesn't need to know!” He whispers, then he grinds against Jihoon, pressing too close to him.

“Get out of my way dick-wad or-” Jihoon seethed, his face twisted in fury.

“Or what? You’ll call your guard dog on me?” Jin young laughed, he was a man who knows his moments and when to take them, and Seungcheol’s departure was his moment. “I don’t see him around do you?” he pointed out, before twisting Jihoon’s head around and forcing his lips on his.

Jihoon loses his balance trying to shift away from the unwelcomed pressure on his lips, he almost stumbles, then he does stumble when Jin Young pulls his hips forward against him and he barely manages to push the other boy away before he is pushed against the wall and a knee settles between his legs. His fury boils to the surface and he releases a barrage of punches against Jin-young’s chest, trying to close his legs together to remove the knee he has effectively pinned Jihoon to the wall with.

“GET-OFF-YOU-CUNT!” Jihoon snapped, turning his head to the side and away from the others lips, shoving at his shoulders

“You need to lighten up Ji, I know you’re interested and I can make sure you have a good time-just loosen up a little” Jin-Young says, pushing a hand between Jihoon’s back and the wall, groping at his ass.

“You know what….I should have let Seungcheol wipe the floor with you, he would have been gentler than I am about to be” Jihoon said before gripping Jin-young’s shoulder and jerking one knee up sharply and quickly into the other boys groin, kneeing him square in the balls.

“OWW FUCK!” Jin-young shouts out, doubling over in pain, hands moving to shield his private organs a second too late. Jihoon shoves him down on the ground and steps over him, past the crowd forming around them.

“Jihoon!” Mingyu calls out, darting out to intercept him “What the hell happened? Are you ok? Did you just…knee..Jin-Young in the balls?” he says, breaking out into a chuckle.

“I’m fine..and he fucking deserved it! Eugh!” Jihoon shudders.

Seungkwan runs up to him, concern writ on his face “Shit-are you OK? I saw him manhandling you and I ran to find Seungcheol, but I couldn’t find him anywhere!”

“He touched you? Aw shit….please don’t tell Hyung, I told him I would keep an eye on you…then some babe shoved her tongue in my ear and…” Mingyu babbled on.

“It’s fine Mingyu…I just feel so fucking stupid. I should have…..should have listened to Cheol-Hyung….ugh! …Where is he?” Jihoon asked, looking around the room.

“Oh…he’s gone home” Mingyu says.

“What? Wh—why?” Jihoon gasped.

“Uhm..he said he was tired, pretty beat and he asked me to look out for you, then he headed off. Mingyu offered, breaking out into another laugh as he watched Jin-Young struggle to raise himself off the floor.

“Oh-fuck!” Jihoon huffed, moving towards the exit.

………………………………..

Seungcheol didn’t really like the idea of leaving the party without Jihoon. But as he was sure he couldn’t contain himself to a socially acceptable standard he thought it best to head on home and avoid upsetting his boyfriend again. Jihoon’s comments are still ringing in his head as he walked back toward the fraternity house and the flashing image of Jin-young leaning over him, had Seungcheol so furious he took out his pent up rage on an innocent garden gnome he passed, drop kicking it into a tree.

When he barges though the front door of the frat house, he startles Wonwoo’s nose out of the book he’s reading.

“I’d say congratulations are in order….. _but you seem pissed_ , you’d almost think you're not leading in your scoring category Hyung….you ok?” Wonwoo calls after him as he trudges up the stairs.

“Fan- _fuckin_ -tastic!” he replies bluntly, slamming the door to his room.

Seungcheol was fully aware of his possessive streak, there was no point trying to deny that it flared up around Jihoon, but he was too tired to isolate the source of his jealousy and paranoia, so he would sleep on it and hoped he would feel better come morning. Once through the door he sloppily undresses for sleep, sets his alarm for the next morning and flops down on the bed, lying above the covers. He drifts off in no time, soothed by dreams of pummelling Jin-young’s face into mush as exhaustion from the game finally catches up with him.

He doesn’t sleep long, no more than 40 minutes before a warm weight settles on his chest and a soft voice whispers in his ear “Cheol-cheol hyung! Don’t go to sleep-don’t go to sleep angry with me Hyung- _wake up!”_ Jihoon’s voice pleads.

“Uhhh” he answers groggily, breaking out of his sleep state.

“Don’t go to sleep angry Hyung-I’m sorry Cheol! You were right and _I’m sorry_ , I should have listened to you, should have trusted you.” Jihoon’s voice speaks to him again, gentle pressure on his chest shaking him awake.

“Jihoonie?” He asks, opening one tired eye, followed by the other “What—what are….are you ok?” he asked.

Jihoon let his head drop into the crook of the older boy’s neck and breathed his scent in deeply “No Cheol…I’m not ok. I was mean to you at the party and you were just looking out for me…..ugh. I’m sorry” Jihoon says, fingering the edges of Seungcheol’s threadbare t-shirt, he’s aware that he’s just woken his boyfriend up to _whine_ an apology at him-for _whining_ at him earlier, but he's trying not to consider that too much.

“Please don’t be angry with me Cheol, I’m going to trust your gut from now on” Jihoon admitted, kissing the side of Seungcheol’s neck tenderly.

It takes Seungcheol a second to remember what Jihoon is talking about; because he’s still half asleep. Only then he remembers their argument from earlier, he remembers walking to the after-party, spotting Jihoon talking to that guy- Jin-Young suggesting they help each other out with their mutual workload and how unnecessarily close he was to Jihoon.“Uhh…yeah…..wait….What happened?” Seungcheol snapped, jolting awake at the younger boy’s admission. “Did he touch you? What did he do? **Tell me!”** he said, sitting up straight and lifting Jihoon up with him, to drop onto his lap with his shift in posture.

“It’s ok Hyung, I’m fine now..you were right…he was an ass and he just got too fucking comfortable and kissed me ….don’t worry I didn’t let him get away with it…I kneed him in the balls!” Jihoon said proudly, a grin lighting up his face. It was short lived when Seungcheol’s face turned dangerously blank. And the room went dead quiet.

Seungcheol carefully lifted the smaller boy off his lap and shifted off the bed. He quietly dressed himself, slipped on his jeans, toed on his converse and pulled on his jacket, whilst Jihoon watched him confused and apprehensive, kneeling near the edge of the bed.

“Uhmm..Cheol-Hyung…where are you going?” Jihoon asked, moving to stand.

“Nowhere,.….just need to take care of something” He said, too calm, a dark look on his face that was doing terrifying thing to Jihoon’s stomach. He moved to the large wardrobe and fished around for something, before pulling out a beaten, wooden baseball bat.

Jihoon’s pupils saucered wide as he put two and two together “Jesus-fuck-CHEOL!” he gasped, jumping to stand in front of the larger boy as he tried to leave the room, armed with his bat and a dark look on his face. “Cheol-holy fuck…NO! No! Just…calm down ok. What do you think you’re doing?!”

“Jihoon” Seungcheol says, in his gravely voice. In the voice that makes him sound serious and angry and so fucking hot. In the voice that had Jihoon weak at the knees simply hearing his name being called. "Move-now"

“Oh my god cheol! Are you serious? You can’t just go beat somebody up-that’s fucking crazy you need to control yourself!” Jihoon begged, pressing his back against the door and twisting the lock shut.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about….I’m just heading out to practice my swing is all” he said, trying to move Jihoon away from the door, but the smaller boy scaled him like a tree, trying to keep him rooted in place.

“CHEOL!....stop!” Jihoon said, starting to laugh with disbelief at the degree of violence his boyfriend was wiling to demonstrate. “If you’re going to be angry….. be angry with me, take it out on me! Don’t do anything stupid like this!” he pleaded desperately, linking his arms around Seungcheol’s neck.

“You’re going to get in trouble….I told you I kneed him in the balls, I’ll make an official complaint about him if it makes you happy ..he just kissed me…nothing else happened...please Hyung….don’t lose your shit over this..…I’m not worth it” he finished a pleading look on his face.

“HOW can you say that?! You ARE worth it!” Seungcheol snapped, dropping his bat as Jihoon climbed off him and stood back.

 “I told you…I TOLD you what he wanted…what he was like and you didn’t believe me. You said it was ME-I was projecting. And I felt so stupid after cause I thought I was being paranoid and making you push me away…….but I was stupid to leave you at that party.  I knew I should have followed my gut…should have just whacked him when I first felt like it” he fumed, fisting his hair in frustration.

Jihoon watched him quietly, watched him snap and then retract, pacing up and down the room. He waited a moment, allowing him to calm, before he reached out to him “Cheol……I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…..said those things to you. I was being reflexive, I’m not used to having someone look out for me like you do” Jihoon spoke sincerely.

“You act as if that’s a _bad_ thing…like…I’m the biggest dick in the world…just because I want to shield you from some stuff….is it so bad?…Is it _wrong_ that I don’t want you to get hurt? I know I can’t be there all the time to stop bad shit from happening…but can’t you just let me protect you when I can be there? Can’t you just _tolerate_ it _for my sake?”_ Seungcheol babbled.

Jihoon remained slumped against the door, watching him quietly, clearly torn between awe of him and disappointment in himself for getting Seungcheol so worked up like this.“…….yeah…I can tolerate it” Jihoon spoke, quirking a smile, voice small, a little sad and a little contrite.

Seungcheol stares at him for a second, face twisted and shoulders set. Then he deflates, sagging, and runs a hand over his face. “Good!....Fine…..that’s good……thank you…….FUCK……good…..dammit I’m still so pissed!” Seungcheol fumed and he’s drawn to Jihoon’s quiet laughter.

“What’s so funny? Jihoon? Huh? You think this is funny? Only _you_ can do this to me!” Seungcheol huffed, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

“Sorry, it’s not that…it’s just..on my way over here this _gnome_ fell out of tree and hit Seungkwan on the head…I was too upset to laugh about it then…..now it’s kinda funny….sorry” Jihoon muttered under his breath, looking guiltily at the older boy.

“Well, I’m happy you can get over this so easily…I’m going to be murdering Jin-Young in my dreams and you’ll have sweet memories of Seungkwan getting a concussion!” Seungcheol bit, audibly irked as he yanked his jacket off.

It's a delicate art, Jihoon thinks, helping Seungcheol blow off enough steam to ensure he doesn’t choke on his bubbling rage as he sleeps.

“Sorry Hyung…..Let me make it up to you Cheol” He says, kneeling down in front of his boyfriend, hands reaching forward to find purchase on his hips.

“No…No. Jihoonie….stop. Just……get up” Seungcheol said, reaching forward to pull the younger boy up again.

Jihoon was having none of it and dipped his head up to nose at Seungcheol’s cock through the thick fabric of his jeans. “Please Cheol…..let me make you feel better!” Jihoon pleaded, small hands cupping the other boy through his pants, curling around the shape of his cock.

“FF—fucck-Jihoonie-stop” Seungcheol gasped, blindly gripping on Jihoon’s shoulder’ as he felt the gentle application of pressure to that sensitive area. “-Ji—hoonie…stop…we don’t have to…It’s ok, I’ll get over it.... I just need to sleep on it” Seungcheol assured him.

“But I want to Hyung…please….Cheol….let me. I wanted to do this for you anyway….after the party…I promised to reward you for being so good….please _let me_ ” he begs, nuzzling against the older boy’s crotch, warm puffs of breath lingering as he mouthed him through the material “Unless you want to choose your reward….do you want me to ride you again instead? What do **you** want Cheol?” Jihoon said sweetly, gazing up at him through soft lashes.

Seungcheol is _“Oh shit_ ”- Seungcheol is not going to be able to hold out long enough for that- there's not a chance in hell. Jihoon’s kept his touches teasingly light so far but his cock is miraculously swollen rock-hard now.

Jihoon answers for him and manages to strip Seungcheol of his jeans and boxers in the same movement, one hand braced on Seungcheol’s hip to hold him in place as he admires Seungcheol’s erection in awe, it’s hard and taut and he curls his hand around the base of his shaft as he scoots forward. He licks at the head, tentative, lapping at the edge of the foreskin then blows gently over the swollen tip, watching as it instantly throbs in response to the gentle stimulation. Seungcheol was so far on already, judging by the feel of pre-come on his tongue, the jump of Seungcheol’s belly muscles and the involuntary jolt of his hips.

Jihoon presses the head of the cock over his lips, applying soft kisses to the slit, but pulling back each time Seungcheol tries to brush against the open and inviting heat of Jihoon’s lips and fuck into his mouth. Seungcheol groans in frustration, and tries to lock his head in place with small pressure on the back of his neck, but Jihoon tuts and turns his head to the side, smearing the tip over his cheek.

And fuck- does that give him an idea. The feel of precome there, sticky, against his cheek has him tightening his thighs as he moans from somewhere deep in his chest.

“Ahh..fuck.. _please_ Jihoonie….stop teasing me baby… _I’m dying here!”_ Seungcheol whined, dropping his head back as his spine melted with each teasing swipe of Jihoon’s tongue along his head.

“Wanna fuck my mouth Cheol?...You’re so **_big_** Cheol…..taste so **_good”_** Jihoon murmurs against the base, lifting his head back to trace his tongue down the vein along Seungcheol’s shaft. Seungcheol grins at him, sharp and dangerous and maybe revealing all of the things he's thinking about doing.

Jihoon can feel the sharp thrum of blood pulsing through Seungcheol’s cock, under his fingertips, he can feel the tremor in his voice as he pumps him once, slow and steady, gauging the other boys face for a moment and then he groans low and needy when Jihoon takes the head into his mouth completely, applying soft suction and pressure.

Seungcheol is so hot inside his mouth, impossibly so, and thick. Jihoon groans and clamps his lips hard around Seungcheol’s cock as the older boy’s eyes roll back in their sockets. “Oohh….sshhhh….fffff” Seungcheol sobs with the force of it, hands fisting Jihoon hair.

"Hmmm” Jihoon hums happy and content around his cock and then he grips Seungcheol’s hips and pulls him closer, takes it in deeper, with more intent and contracts his throat around the aching shaft. Seungcheol rewards him with a low growl of pleasure. “Yes…uhhh… _s’good Jihoonie_ …keep going”

Seungcheol is some kind of living breathing paradox, in the way he gentles his touches sometimes, like Jihoon's some precious artifact he's not sure how to handle and then in the other way of his current state, gripping the back of Jihoon’s head as he jerks his hips forward roughly into that questing heat. Jihoon does the only thing he can, he opens his mouth wide, relaxes his throat to accommodate the length of him, gag reflex be damned and swallows his dick down his throat.

 _“Shit! Ff-FUCK!---ohhhmm_ ” Seungcheol grunts, hips pistoning forward, watching his cock slide between Jihoon’s lips, the younger boy swallowing it down eagerly each time, tongue dragging up the length of him which each thrust in and rubbing over the head which each pull put, coaxing him to climax with wet sucks and a warm hand around the base.

Jihoon sucks on his cock as carefully as he can manage considering the relentless force, only using his teeth enough to keep him from slipping out. He could probably keep this up for some time but Seungcheol is close, if the way Seungcheol grabs him by the back of the neck and hauls him in forward again is anything to go by. His pleas start up again, curses and pleases whispered reverently, pouring out of him; every time Jihoon takes him to the hilt, the suction and heat of his mouth are like fire on his over-sensitive flesh.

“Too much ..please..…it’s too much Jihoonie” Seungcheol replied, shaking. When Seungcheol went to pull back, Jihoon held him there, running his tongue along the slit of his cock as the older boy tried hard not to shudder.

“Ahh… _Jihoonie_ —gonna cum baby” Seungcheol said, hands untangling from his blonde hair. “Fuck—I’m so close baby….you need to pull off—pull off if you don’t want to swallow”

Jihoon feels something tighten almost pleasurably between his legs at the implications there. Jihoon hummed around him once more, before withdrawing the shaft with an obscene pop “I don’t mind swallowing Cheollie—but I’d prefer it if you came on my face” Jihoon said, watching the other boy.

The split second following that statement was one of the most conflicted of Seungcheol's life. Excitement was first, excitement because _fuck_ , Seungcheol was going nuts for the idea of blowing a load on his pretty boyfriend’s face, that was just his kind of thing, and Jihoon had sounded fucking _delicious_ asking for it too.

"Are you sure?" Seungcheol says, suddenly demure, nearly toppling over when he leans back to look at Jihoon more clearly, to gauge his honesty.

Jihoon blinked rapidly at that question. He'd thought the direct approach was the best way to go, but he'd clearly miscalculated. Maybe Seungcheol wasn’t into that kinda thing? “Uhm…I thought you would like it….you don’t want to?”

“Fuck…Jihoonie, I want to..I _really_ want to….I’d **love** to I just don’t want to push you to do anything ….you’re not comfortable with” Seungcheol said.

“Well…like you said _….I'll try anything once”_ Jihoon parroted his statement from the previous day.

“Huh…..ok….but you’re sure? You’re not gonna.. cut my dick off if I get some in your eye yeah?” Seungcheol said shakily, taking a firm hold oh his cock and stroking it lightly, waiting for further confirmation.

“Yes, Cheol, I’m sure…I want it…It’s good practice…for all that _other_ kinky shit you want to do with me” Jihoon said, admittedly teasing just a little.

“Ok baby….you asked for it, you know I like to give you what you want….just remember, ask for it nice and sweet, the way I like you to “Seungcheol says and his smile tilts upward a bit more as he slips his hand over Jihoon’s and begins assisting, tugging on his own cock, a hint of light dancing behind his eyes.

“I’m ready Cheollie” Jihoon says, popping the head into his mouth once more, sliding his tongue on the underside, then he lets Seungcheol’s cock fall from his lips giving the head a quick kittenish lick as he smiles up at Seungcheol through his lashes and says “I want it- please give it to me….. _please daddy_ … _come on my face daddy”_ he whimpers.

It's…it's stupidly hot, that's what it is, the way Jihoon sits back on his haunches and open his mouth, waiting for him. "F-ff…Jihoonie… _baby_ …" Seungcheol says, fisting the head of his cock and pulling himself closer to the edge of completion, then his whole body's jerking and Jihoon’s pretty face and hair are ruined, soiled- when Seungcheol comes hard, painting white streaks over Jihoon’s lips, cheeks and the underside of his chin, till he’s wracked with it.

Jihoon can feel Seungcheol’s come hit him. Jihoon’s warm, trembling hands still holding the base of his shaft, eyes closed, lashes smeared. He leans up and lets the last couple of pulses smear his lips, tongue darting out to catch the remnants of fluid leaking from his boyfriend’s cock. It's filthy and obscene and so fucking hot that Jihoon could probably nut too just thinking about it.

When he ventures to open his eyes and look up at Seungcheol “Oh…fuck…sweet-….fuck…. _that was hot_ …” Seungcheol manages to breath out, chest still rising and falling in rapid succession from all the exertion. He pushes his come over Jihoon’s mouth with his thumb, “Was…that ok….are you ok?” He asked.

“Hmmhmm…yeah. That was fun. Thank you Cheol” Jihoon says, only a little breathless.

“Wh-what? Thank me?... Thank you! Damn…..that was….I never thought you would let me do that…shit Jihoonie…you’ve **ruined** me. That was the hottest thing ever” Seungcheol panted, dropping to his knees in front of Jihoon and then he closes the distance between them, swift and sure, to kiss him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is brought to you by  
> 1)Your gut feeling...some people are dicks and you know it right away. Trust your gut.  
> 2)Just plain shameful kinks that pop into my head when I'm writing!  
> 3) Seungcheol is probably awesome at basketball.  
> 4) I'd fangirl for Seungcheol if he just tied his shoelaces....love him!  
> 5) Seungkwan...the master of deflection...he knows what going on...just not so clued up with his own shit!


	15. Christmas Part 1: Die Hard Shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas, movies, and shopping.

 

“Listen up Vernon- you _shit-for-brain retard_ , I don’t give a **flying fuck** what you say or what evidence you have. I am the _oldest_ member of this fraternity and I am the **president** , so I am pulling rank! Like it or not! You can cry about it all you want, but I’ll say it once and I won’t say it again dickhead…..The Nightmare before Christmas is NOT a Christmas movie! You can’t pick it as your favourite Christmas movie and that’s it!” Seungcheol yells furiously, pointing his finger at the other boy.

“How can you say that! It has CHRISTMAS in the title! It more than qualifies!” Vernon protests passionately

“Vernon you need to climb out of Tim Burton’s ass man….yeah he’s quirky but his movies are all the same” Jun chirps up “I agree with Cheol-hyung on this one…It’s clearly a Halloween movie” he adds ignoring the glare Vernon shoots him.

“Guy’s…please…this is crazy! We’re brothers, fraternites united, we need to stick together…. and all agree that ‘Bad Santa’ is the best Christmas movie…let’s face it!” Hoshi smoothly slides in his preference.

“WRONG-We need to appreciate the classics. The obvious choice is, ‘It’s a wonderful life’- which I believe epitomizes the true spirit of Christmas, it’s a reflection of how the materialistic values have destroyed the idealis—“ Wonwoo begins to wax poetically about his choice.

“BORING!” Mingyu interrupts Wonwoo’s poetic outlook rudely “No offence Wonwoo but Christmas is not the most depressing time of the year. I prefer my Christmas movies to have a little _jollyness_ to them. The choice is clear….’Miracle on 34 th Street’! It ticks all the boxes…it has Santa-check, Presents-Check, A Christmas fucking Miracle! What more do you want?”

“Yeah-ok, Mingyu, It’s a rounded Christmas movie and it ticks all the _cliché_ boxes….but I think you’ll find it lacking in PLOT, humour and ingenuity…three things that make ‘Elf’, the standout Christmas movie!” DK debates, holding up his copy.

“Excuse me….did you say _plot, humour and ingenuity?…._ It sounds like you’re describing the best Christmas movie of all time and my choice…’Home Alone’” Jun intervenes, brandishing a worn looking copy of said film. “Hands up anybody who hasn’t watched this at least a dozen times at Christmas! It’s such a fun movie and it never disappoints, no matter how many times you watch it! Kevin McCallister is the perfect channel for our childhood Christmas memories!” Jun explains.

“PFFFTT…please Jun. That movie is hardly genuine..it’s a rip-off. Home Alone is just a poor man’s imitation of the truest, greatest Christmas movie of all time….Die Hard!” Seungcheol weighs in, in the dry, matter of fact tone that he's perfected in these debates.

“What? How can you say that? They’re nothing alike!” Jun retorts, making a pained face and sitting up stiffly in his chair.

Seungcheol peers at all of their slack faces and then sighs, clearly annoyed at having to be more detailed. He matches Jun’s posture and leans up. “Ok then….lets look in detail shall we. In ‘Die Hard’, John McClane gets abandoned at the office Christmas party after he argues with his wife; In ‘Home Alone’, Kevin McCallister gets sent to the attic after fighting with his family and is left home over Christmas. John foils a multi-million dollar heist set up by terrorists; Kevin stop’s thieves from robbing his home. John rigs the Nakatomi building with dynamite and explosives, Kevin booby traps his family home with paint pots and nails. In the end John McClane kills Hans Gruber, reunites with his wife, befriends the black cop who helped him and rides away in a limo listening to ‘Let it snow’; Kevin outsmarts the thieves, he hugs his old neighbor, reunites with his family to the tune of ‘We wish you a merry Christmas’” He pauses to take a breath after his lengthy analysis and then says

“So tell me Jun..are those enough fucking comparisons for you. It’s _THE SAME_ fucking movie except Die hard came out first, so Home Alone is _clearly_ ripping it’s plot off. And even if you don’t agree with that, I know I’d rather watch Bruce Willis kicking some serious ass then watch McCauley Kulkin pull that same fucking facial expression every five goddamn minutes!!” Seungcheol finishes his analysis with an absolutely hideous grin of satisfaction.

Jun glares at him, his eyes are fixed on Seungcheol like he's never going to look happy again. He set’s down his copy of the DVD and stands to look Seungcheol straight in the eye “You know what Cheol….KEEP THE CHANGE YA FILTHY ANIMAL!” Jun yells.

Seungcheol hesitates a moment more and then he barks back, quoting “YIPPEE KI YAY MOTHERFUCKER!!”

“I HATE ALL OF YOU, AND I HATE THE MOVIE’S THAT YOU LIKE!” DK joins in the blaring crusade.

“NONE OF YOU WOULD RECOGNISE GOOD TASTE IF IT HIT YOU IN THE FACE!!!” Wonwoo screeched.

“I HOPE YOU ALL GET RAPED….TWICE! MAYBE THEN YOU’LL LEARN TO FEEL DIFFERENT!” Hoshi hollers.

“STOP CALLING ME AN EMO JOHNNY DEPP WANNABE YOU DICKS!!” Vernon shrieks his opinion.

“IM SICK OF EVERYONE’S SHIT…FROM NOW ON YOU WILL ADDRESS ME AS KING CHEOL!” Seungcheol shouted.

“OH my god! Fellas..….please calm down…we just need to pick a movie to watch on New Year’s eve it doesn’t have to be the most important decision we make in our lives!” Mingyu tries to reason with the testosterone filling the room rapidly.

But it’s too late, the argument has escalated to the point of chest bumping and fist waving when Jihoon arrives at the house.

Jihoon has been alerted to the escalating tension before he even crossed the road toward the house, their heated argument and loud shouting had travelled down half the block, and as he crosses the threshold of the front door, he stands in muted shock watching the group insult and outright threaten each other hysterically.

The fraternity’s plan to spend New-Year’s week in a private cabin retreat in the Forrest, as expected, is indeed the reason for this current argument. As it has been the cause for several arguments over the past few weeks since the decision was made. The prospect of spending the New Year with Seungcheol had excited him, but that was before every little decision about their trip dissolved into bitter disputes amongst the other members. Jihoon was somewhat _relieved_ that they had unanimously decided to spend Christmas Day itself and the week prior to their trip, with their families instead, as Jihoon had not seen his family in some time and his older sister would be returning from college as well to reunite. That decision was a no brainer for everyone else when Mingyu revealed he would **not** be responsible for preparing Christmas dinner if he remained at the fraternity house.

So it was decided. Christmas week at home, New Year’s week at the Cabin. Simple, except it wasn’t and now Jihoon wasn’t entirely sure if this trip would come to fruition considering how on edge everyone had been planning it. They were almost at each other’s throats daily and Jihoon watches them bicker again, now- a frown firmly set on his face.

“Guys” he says, but it goes unheard over the loud voices filling the room.

“Guys!” He tries again, to no avail.

“HEY! SHUT THE FUCK UP OR I’ll STAPLE ALL YOU’RE MOUTHS SHUT!” his voice pierces the airwaves, effectively silencing them all. He trains his eye on the group, as their breaths steady out and faces reach a more manageable shade of red, before speaking up again. “What’s going on?…..what are we fighting about this time?” He asked concerned, turning to drape his coat over the bannister.

“Oh god, Jihoon _thank god_ you came…please settle something for us” Mingyu said in relief, rushing over to the other boy.

“Yes! Jihoon can pick…he’s got the deciding vote….he’s a neutral party!” Wonwoo said, pointing out the youngers arrival to the rest of the group.

“How _exactly_ is he a neutral vote? He’s _obviously_ going to side with Cheol-Hyung!” Hoshi protested. Briefly, Seungcheol looks like he's going to start yelling threats again, but Jihoon shoots him a glare and then he schools his features into a more neutral expression.

“Jihoon wouldn’t do that, he doesn’t go easy on Cheol-Hyung because they’re together…besides, We’re not going to tell him anybody’s preference….we will just list the movies and he can decide. Whatever movie he picks-that’s the winner. _Agreed?”_ Mingyu said, as the other mumbled in approval.

“Ok…what the fuck are you guys talking about? What am I picking exactly?” Jihoon asks.

“Jihoon, we need you to pick the best Christmas movie from the ones we list, _OK?_ And that’s the movie we will watch on New Year’s eve.” Mingyu explained carefully.

“ _This_ is what you guys were almost killing each other over?” Jihoon's lips upturned into a small smile and he let out a small noise of amusement. On some level it seemed so absurd that it was humorous: “ I….uh…Fine…. what are my choices?” He sighed heavily.

“Cool, we have ‘A Miracle on 34th Street, It’s a wonderful life, Die Hard, Home Alone, Bad Santa, Elf and A Nightmare before Christmas” Mingyu listed.

Jihoon steeled his expression, ran the option through his head briefly and then quickly answered “Die hard”

“YAAASSSSSS!” Seungcheol yelled, fist pumping the air and lurching toward the smaller boy, who resisted pulling a massive smile on his face as he heard Seungcheol cheer happily. “YEESSS…I knew it….I knew we were meant for each other….fucking new you wouldn’t let me down…come ere!” He said bear hugging Jihoon off the floor. “I win….I win….King Cheol wins!” he gloated.

Jihoon sighs, rolling his eyes at Seungcheol’s level of immaturity, but he's gratified by the way Seungcheol's smile firms up as he sets him down again and kisses his forehead softly.

“He cheated! He knew it was Cheol-Hyung’s choice! He-“ Hoshi began to protest before Jun waved him off.

“Give it a rest Hosh-I’m tired of arguing……in the whole scheme of things…it’s probably going to be the most entertaining movie to watch anyway” Jun said, flopping back into his seat.

“You know what you guys, now that you have accepted that I was right and that I won……as you’re gracious leader-“

“…………..yeah right! Gracious my ass!” DK laugh back, all mockery, and Seungcheol allows himself the smallest of smirks.

“………..I will relinquish my win and let you decide amongst yourselves which movie is Second best…..we can watch **it** instead” he offered smugly, taking Jihoon’s hand and moving towards the stairs as the group of boys left behind descend into another feud.

…………………….

"Jihoonie" Seungcheol says some time later that night, surprising Jihoon by being awake. He thought the older boy was out cold, and he was about to doze off himself curled up against Seungcheol.

"Yeah?" he mumbles sleepily. Seungcheol shifts slightly, adjusting Jihoon subtly against him, a hand slipping up under his t-shirt and settling over his belly, fingers dipping lazily into his navel. Jihoon is just tired enough, just comfortable and content enough, to let himself recognize how much he enjoys the sensation. He sighs, pleased.

"Was ‘Die Hard’ _really_ you’re favourite Christmas movie out of that list?"  Seungcheol asks.

“Nope….never even seen it before” Jihoon confessed, around a yawn.

“You’ve _never_ seen Die Hard!? We need to fix that…but…then _why_ …why did you pick it?” Seungcheol asks chuckling.

“Because ….I wanted you to win _….obviously!”_ Jihoon says slowly after a long pause.

“But how did you know it was my choice?” Seungcheol asked curious.

Jihoon rolls to his side to regard Seungcheol for a moment “Please….Cheol….it’s _obviously_ your choice..I just .. _knew_ …oh and also I couldn’t help but notice once that you have two copies of it on DVD sitting on your shelf. Why _do you_ have two copies Cheol?” Jihoon asked, eyes narrowing.

“Oh….yeah….well there was this Buy-1-get-1-free deal running on Amazon” Seungcheol explained.

“So you decided to buy _two_ copies…..of the _same_ DVD?” Jihoon summarized as he broke out into warm laughter patting Seungcheol fondly on the head.

“Yeah! I didn’t want to miss out on the offer” Seungcheol pauses, makes a terribly embarrassed face, and continues in a whisper “……It seemed like a good idea at the time… _I might have been drunk_ ” he huffed, pulling the smaller boy back against his chest.

“Idiot” Jihoon huffs out a faint laugh, but doesn't tease any further.

“I’m going to miss you” Seungcheol speaks up again just as Jihoon begins to drift off again, and he is pulled back from the brink of sleep to mumble back to the older boy some reassurance.

“Sssshmm…..it’s only a week Cheollie…..I’ll see you a few days after Christmas and we will have a whole week together…..you’ll hardly notice the time go by” he mumbles, yawning and nuzzling back against the solid warmth behind him. It's weird that it should feel natural, to be this comfortable sleeping interlocked with another.

“Hmm…..yeah… _a week_..” Seungcheol mumbles, kissing the back of Jihoon’s head tenderly. He quietly contemplates the next week without his boyfriend as Jihoon drifts off again. The smaller boy if fast asleep when he speaks again “Just one minute without you feels like an eternity”

…………………………………………………………..

When Jihoon arrives at the station the next day, to catch his train home, it has taken him almost two solid hours to navigate the traffic chaos that the Christmas holidays inevitably bring with them, and he is disturbed to find that there is only a single outbound train left that is heading in his home towns direction. Seungkwan, Joshua and Jeonghan are catching the same train and they wait in the departure lobby as time winds down and Jihoon goes to grab a drink.

“Cheol---you giant dick…I knew you would be late” Jihoon whines at the older boy over the phone! “I wanted to see you before I left and I can’t miss my train. There won’t be another one home until tomorrow” he huffs.

“Sorry baby, I got held up at practice, then I had to collect the Hire Jeep for the trip, traffic was intense…..and you of all people know I have a giant dick, but you love it” Seungcheol teases.

“Uh..shut-up. You give me new reasons to hate you and your giant dick everyday” Jihoon replies, holding the phone to his ear with his shoulder as he gets out a drink out of the vending machine.

“Hey…wait…where exactly in the station are you?” Seungcheol asks.

“Near the ticket booths, past the post office….” Jihoon explained, walking back towards where Seungkwan, Joshua and Jeonghan are seated.

“Bottom floor-by the vending machines?” Seungcheol asks

“Uhh yeah…are yo-? Jihoon asked, taking his seat on the bench next to Seungkwan.

“Nothing, I’ll talk to you later, I gotta go, I just saw the cutest little kitten and I need to go pet it” Seungcheol explains, suddenly whispering cautiously.

“What? Are you in the park? I thought--“ Jihoon started to ask before the line went dead. Jihoon nearly flung his phone across the departures hall in frustration, but glared at the blank screen instead and then pocketed it. “He’s unbelievable….so disorganized..I basically packed for him yesterday because when I checked his luggage, he had like close to thirty T-shirts and only one change of pants!”

“Jihoon please…you guys are so domestic it’s disgusting” Jeonghan waved him off.

 “I think it’s sweet!” Joshua said, then “Uhh. Jihoon…you might wanna turn aro-“ Joshua tried to warn him before..

He feels broad palms on his back, warm and solid and he gasps as arms encircle his waist, lifting him up against a broad chest, his feet skim the ground but not quite touching the floor. “Hello kitten,” A voice from behind him crooned in his ear and he shuddered with it. “Look what I found ….A little kitten….I think he might be lost, he’s looking for his owner, _maybe I can be his owner_ ” Seungcheol cooed, warm breath spilling against Jihoon ear.

“Cheol? Is that you?… _what the fuck_ …put me down!” Jihoon writhed in his grip, blushing as passersby turned to look at them.

“Oh dear lord…this guy’s got a death-wish…let’s pray for him” Jeonghan said, shaking his head.

“He’s dead….he’s dead….Rest in peace Seungcheol” Joshua confirmed, watching Jihoon write in fury in Seungcheol’s grip.

“I am going to make good on my threat to gouge out your eyes if you don’t put me down and let me go Cheol!” he repeats, as slowly as he feels he can while retaining his dignity. “Seriously Cheol--we’re in the middle of the train station _! People are looking!”_ He hissed through gritted teeth.

“Wow…did you hear that…this kitten can talk! But ….I wonder if I can get it to meow for me instead? Maybe if I squeeze it, it will mewl for me” Seungcheol laughs delightedly and tightens his grip around Jihoon’s waist.

“I’m going to kill you….” Jihoon started to threaten him. *Squeeze*

“Just you wait” *Squeeze*

“You’ll wish you’d never been born” Jihoon exclaims.

*Squeeze*

“Say goodbye to your loved ones”

*Squeeze*

“I don’t like this cat. He’s not a very friendly kitten” Seungkwan piped up as he tries to stifle his laugh but can't “Give it up Seungcheol, I don’t think he’s meowing for you anytime soon”

“Maybe you’re right…..but I have all the time in the world….and I know kitten here- _has a train to catch_ , So I’m gonna keep squeezing him till I get what I want” Seungcheol added, grinning widely.

“No…you’re going to die!” Jihoon threatened after another soft squeeze.

“ _Gonna-keep-squeezing-till-I-hear-you-meow”_ Seungcheol said in-between several squeezes of the smaller boy’s body.

“C’mon little kitten, please…meow for me” Seungcheol requests again, then throws caution and common decency to the wind and says quietly in Jihoon’s ear, barely above a whisper “.… _meow for daddy”_

Jihoon whines quietly with the use of the word, then sighs in resignation. When it came to Seungcheol, resistance is _probably_ futile. “Meow-meow” Jihoon mimicked a cat’s meow in a soft pitched voice quietly. Seungcheol’s smile widened at his boyfriend’s submission and he gave one last squeeze before setting Jihoon down again, pressing a light kiss to the back of the smaller boy’s head.

“I can’t believe you are getting away with that Seungcheol!” Joshua laughed

“Jihoon, ….what did I say… _domestic!_ You’re getting soft dude!” Jeonghan laughed in shock.

Jihoon turned around slowly and frowns at Seungcheol. It’s a neat little frown he has spent ages perfecting, coupled expertly with narrowed eyes and pursed lips. The entire look clearly reads _‘You are in so much trouble’_ and Jihoon has used it countless times with his boyfriend to warn him that’s he’s bordering on death’s door. “Cheol….what did I say-

“Wait…do you hear that?” Seungkwan panicked, interrupting Jihoon's incoming threats and everyone else’s laughter, jerking them all back to attention as he strained to listen to the announcement bleeding through the lobby “Did our train just get called?.... SHIT!”

Then there is a sudden mad dash as they scramble to collect their luggage and rush toward the platform. Jihoon is struggling to tow his heavy bag behind him through the crowd of people crossing his path. He envies Joshua’s wheeled carry-on for a second before a stranger steps on his bag for the third time as he tugs it along and the strap snaps, he topples forward under its weight, landing on his hands and knees.

He thinks about just abandoning his monstrosity of a bag in the middle of the station, but once again strong arms are encircling his waist, lifting him off the ground easily and propping him upright. The weight of the bag becomes feather light and he whips his head around quickly to see Seungcheol, slinging it over his shoulder effortlessly. He only has a moment to share a smile with the older boy before Seungcheol grabs his hand and pulls him swiftly, cutting through the crowds towards the direction of his platform. Seungcheol guides him onto the train and deposits the bag in the carriage for him near his allocated seat.

“There you go kitten….can’t have you missing your train now can we, not after you meowed so _nicely_ for me” Seungcheol says, smiling as he reaches up to scratch under Jihoon’s chin affectionately.

Jihoon only glares for half a second before he cracks a smile too. “What did I tell you about picking me up in public!” he chides, despite his gratitude.

“You told me not to do it” Seungcheol answers proudly.

“Then why do you keep doing it?!” Jihoon seethes

“I can’t help myself.....you’re so fucking cute” Seungcheol explained shrugging his shoulders.

Jihoon begins to roll his eyes but Seungcheol grins at him, a wide, full smile. His eyes are sparkling and he's got a hand resting against Jihoon's jawline now, thumb swiping his cheek and Jihoon is suddenly, fiercely happy, in a way he can't begin to quantify.

“I’ll see you next week Hyung” Jihoon says and there is a brief moment of tension where Jihoon sees the tightness somehow visible on Seungcheol’s face and then he adds “It will fly by….It’s a good sign if you miss me a little anyway” Jihoon says.

“I’m missing you big time already” Seungcheol says sullen, as Jihoon leans on his tip toes and gives him a sweet reassuring kiss. Jihoon holds the kiss until he feels Seungcheol sigh happily, and then a minute longer, just to be on the safe side.

Seungcheol manages to exit the carriage just as the doors slide shut behind him and he waves to the smaller boy as the train speeds away from the platform.

 

…………………………….

“Do you need a lift from the station?” Jihoon’s older sister, Soonmi, asks him over the phone.

“No it’s fine I can just get the bus. Besides I need to stop by the mall to pick up a few things before I head home!” He spoke quietly as he rested his head against the train window.

“Are you going shopping? Heeyyyy Why don’t I just come with you then, we can grab some lunch and I still need to pick up a present for mom-“Soonmi offers excitedly.

“NO!” Jihoon blurted out, panicked and Seungkwan whips his head around to regard him as well.

“Why not?” Soonmi asked, suspiciously, sensing urgency in his voice.

“Uh….cause…I uhmm….I’m…picking up your gift” he fucking _lies_ , because he already had purchased a gift for his older sister and the only accurate statement would be ‘I need some time alone to buy a kinky present for my secret boyfriend’.

“OH.. _ohhhhhh_ Ok” she acknowledged and thankfully dropped her previous offer “ Do you need  me to give you any hints? I’m very difficult to buy for you know…I have expensive tastes and if you have a budget I can work within it!” Soonmi suggested.

“Soonmi, it’s fine, I gotta go ok! See you at home!” he ended the call abruptly and sighed in relief.

Seungkwan favors him with a sly sidelong glance, “Ok…so that was _obviously_ a lie. I was with you when you bought her a gift last week. I remember because it was **absolute torture** and you are so indecisive! What are you really doing?” Seungkwan asked, pursing his lips inquisitively.

“I need some.. _privacy_ ….I’m buying a gift for Seungcheol. I’m want to give it to him when we meet again at the Cabin…..It’s not exactly ‘bring your sister along’ kinda shopping…… _if you know what I mean._ I haven’t told my family about Seungcheol yet” Jihoon explained, shifting in his seat uncomfortably.

“Oh….say no more!” Seungkwan said with a wink “They’re your family….they will understand” he reassured.

……………………………………………………………..

Seungcheol, Jihoon has had the literal pleasure of discovering, is a man of many kinks.

Which can either be a very good thing, or as Jihoon was about to discover, a very awkward shopping experience.

Jihoon had never set foot inside the boutique before, _well actually no_ -that was a lie. Back when he was in 5th grade, he was once dared by Seungkwan to run in quickly, touch an item and run back out again. The entire dare had lasted no more than 20 seconds and somehow he’s managed it with his eyes shut! Something was telling him that _this_ time around, he would actually have to keep his eyes open if he was going to successfully select a Christmas gift for Seungcheol.

The interior of the boutique was elegantly and alluringly decorated, despite the simplistic and muted down window display, but he suspected that was to deter people from congregating in shock outside and permit shoppers to enjoy the luxury of a private shopping experience.

Jihoon hovered a few feet away from the entrance, pretending to browse on his phone for a few minutes until the coast was clear. The level of planning and coordination to get to this point has exhausted him already and he hadn’t even set foot inside the store or decided what he would be buying.

P _lease god…please…let it be somebody I don’t know!_

Jihoon cannot be considered a prude anymore, by any sense of the word, not after some of the things Seungcheol and he have _done_ together, but if word got back to his sister, his parents or _god forbid_ his grandparents, that sweet little Jihoon-Thumbelina was buying risqué lingerie for his boyfriend’s pleasure, is a bit discordant in his mind.

So he _can’t_ be recognized here, it needs to be a fast dash in and out again before anyone spots him. When he finally has the courage to walk in and the boutique assistant walks over to him, he glances at the name on her badge quickly ‘Chailynn’ and his eyes snap up to meet hers.

_I don’t know her….perfect_

“Welcome, My name is Chailynn, if you need any help with sizes or queries, please do not hesitate to approach me!” the shop assistant welcomes him politely.

“Hi….uhmm…thanks. I’m ok for the moment….Just looking around” Jihoon says hesitantly as he entered the shop “…. _for my girlfriend_!” he added quickly, as if to draw suspicion away from himself and his obvious embarrassment.

Chailynn raised one eyebrow curiously as he spoke, then smiled coolly “Your girlfriend….. _or for you?_ ” She asked, a glint of mischievousness in her eyes.

Jihoon tries to speak, but he can't get words out over the tightening in his throat, so he stops trying and concentrates on breathing through his nose. It takes a lot longer than he would like to calm himself down, and when he's finally got himself under control, Chailynn is tilting her head down, looking at him with concern and he blurts out “AH…what…NO…it’s _definitely_ for my _girlfriend_....I want to buy something for my _girlfriend_ …for Christmas!!”

Chailynn snorted, for want of a better word and Jihoon nearly lost the-straight-hot-blooded-male façade he was trying desperately to employ.“Ok. Sorry…what I meant was…our male customers usually buy our brand of lingerie for their wives or girlfriend’s, but really…the enjoyment is for them at the end of the day” she explained.

“ **Oh** ….yeah…uhm.. _obviously_ ….my _girlfriend_ will be wearing the lingerie I buy her….today” Jihoon tripped on his enunciation of the term ‘girlfriend’, the word feeling alien and cumbersome on his tongue.

He moved around the store quietly, inspecting the racks but careful not to touch anything directly, fearful that he would draw the wrong kind of attention to himself if he did.

“Please, feel free to touch them if you like!” Chailynn said, suddenly standing behind him, startling him.

 “Oh…..ok…thanks” Jihoon says, letting out a breath he hadn't known he was fighting and trying valiantly not to flush in embarrassment. He reaches a hand out to caress the satin-soft material of the underwear whilst keeping a cagey eye on her. “It’s _….soft?”_ he offered feebly.

“This is one of our most popular pieces from the current seasonal range, _best-seller_ in fact, it’s called, The Duchess: Parisian Silk with embroidered hand stitched flowers. It comes in a choice of four colours” she detailed.

He rolls the material over and over between his thumb and forefinger, trying to arrange his thoughts and find inspiration. The feel of it is sleek and unfamiliar against his hand, he’s only ever worn cotton, but he can’t help but notice how the shimmer of colour contrasts beautifully with the paleness of his skin. Embroidery, however….that’s not his style.

_Since when did I have any style when it came to fucking lingerie! Damn you Seungcheol!_

“It’s uhmmm nice..but..….it’s not quite what I want… _for my girlfriend!_ _”_ Jihoon corrected quickly, feeling himself edge towards hysteria again. He retracted his hand swiftly, face flushing crimson to match the colour of the garment he had just been caressing.

Chailynn quirks her eyebrow again and Jihoon tensely shuffles around to the next aisle, away from her soul piercing gaze. The next aisle was densely packed with an impressive range of matching pieces, although he only needed the bottom half of the set he wondered if it would appear suspicious to buy half a set for his _‘girlfriend’_. He sighed loudly, realising he would have to purchase a two piece to avert suspicion when a voice spoke to him….

“What’s her name?” Chailynn asked, just-- _appearing_ suddenly--and it's a testament to Jihoon's self control that he doesn't shit himself in surprise. Although he does yelp in shock rather lamely. "Her name? ……Does it matter?" Jihoon says, and he curses his obviously inferior brain for not having come up with a fake name for his supposed fake girlfriend before coming here. "I don’t want her initials emblazoned on them or anything" he adds in mounting defense.

"Sorry, I appreciate that it’s a personal question but the more information I get, the better I can cater to your needs. We pride ourselves on delivering a confidential and luxury shopping experience. If you can reveal a few more… _intimate_ details I’m sure I can assist you better” she explains calmly.

Jihoon’s nerves began to jingle uncomfortably with her probing nature and he fidgets nervously.

“Do you have a preference in fabric?" Chailynn asks, suddenly moving behind him to pull out a drawer from the display table and whipping out a roll of measuring tape.

“Fabric..…sorry…uhm no…aren’t they all somewhat similar?” He said spinning around to watch her pull the measuring tape taught against a display mannequin.

“Fabric is so important, probably the _most_ important factor in deciding which items to go for. Compare the texture of these two pieces for example” she says, pulling Jihoon over to the display model “The top piece is a lace and silk mix, the bottom is chiffon and satin…you can tell there is a distinct difference against your fingertips…but imagine how profoundly different they will feel against the _most sensitive_ parts of your body. The feel of the material against your skin, the feel of it against his skin _, it all matters_. Fabric will also determine if the piece you choose drapes- loose, or is tight and clinging. Also, you have to consider the longevity of the garment, some fabrics are so delicate they can only be guaranteed to last a single use, some fabrics are more robust…so you should factor in your _activities_ as well, when selecting.

Jihoon thinks about the durability of delicate fabrics like chiffon, silk, satin and lace under Seungcheol’s hands. He thinks, despite how hard he's trying not to, about whether Seungcheol will handle the item with care and slip it off Jihoon, or rip it off. When it came to Seungcheol, either is possible.

"Ah," Jihoon says, staring at the panties he’s fingering and swallowing hard, "admittedly, I did not think of that."

_I really should have practiced this before coming here_

“Hmm..have you considered colour?” She asks him “That’s usually a good place to start of you feel lost” Chailynn offers helpfully.

"I’m not fussy….something flattering on…pale skin?" he replies instead, keeping one eye on the flying blurs of color surrounding him and looking at Chailynn with the other. She's smiling, a warm, laughing smile, the kind of smile Jihoon only sees when you find something out.

“Well, we have a pastel range of colours in some select pieces…I’m sure they would look amazing on you….ahem…I mean..your _girlfriend!_ ” she corrects herself deliberately.

 

Jihoon wants hell to open up at his feet and pull him down at once, he wants to run out of the store and never look back but his brain--his slow traitor of a brain—fails to fire the appropriate nerve signals and all he manages to reply with is a whine that comes out sounding like a cross between a whimper and a mewl. Seungcheol would have loved hearing it. Chailynn on the other hand, laughs and clucks her tongue reproachfully as Jihoon moves around to the next rack of frillier garments on shaky legs, and oh, he's so obvious now, he's so _very_ obvious as he beats a hasty retreat.

“You’re very shy!” Chailynn states, rounding the opposite end of the aisle and cornering Jihoon again. “I’m sorry if I’m making you uncomfortable, but I have just one more question for you….do you have any pet names you call each other?”

“Oh….well….damn…yeah! Where do I start, endless pet names!” Jihoon sighed, Seungcheol was heavy and enthusiastic with the pet names. There was Baby: _his old favorite_ , Little-Knife: _their inside joke_ : Precious-Petal: _the overly affectionate one_ ; Cheeky-Cheerleader: _his preferred alias_ ; Floofy Fairy: _his bedhead inspired one_ and more recently added, Sleepy-Starfish: _because of the position Jihoon naturally adopted in sleep._

Then there was the several line up’s waiting for Jihoon’s approval too.

Recently, Seungcheol seemed determined on one however, trying to slip it in as much as possible during conversations and gauging Jihoon’s response carefully when he tried to call him by it. Hell he had even pushed for Jihoon to dress as one for Halloween before Jihoon surprised him and pulled out the cheerleader card instead.

“Kitten…..” he answered shyly, before his face exploded in colour.

It wasn't much, but it was more than Jihoon was supposed to give, he was revealing more about himself with one word then he had with full sentences. And Chailynn’s eyes are lifting at the corners and she’s beaming down at him as he stands in the middle of a lingerie boutique panicking and she knows it.  It’s not like panic is a hard expression to read even if you've got no imagination at all.

“Kitten?! Oh my.. _that’s precious!”_ Chailynn cooed, flapping her hands excitedly.“Omo!!! I have _just_ the thing!” She says, bringing him over to a rail and gesturing to an item. On the top row of shelves, three pieces in, is a trim fitted silk and lace pair of panties. Peeking over the top of the waist is a thin strip of white fluffy material. Jihoon quirks a brow. What exactly does Chailynn think he's into?

“So here’s what I am thinking.... maybe you can go for a soft, cute look with some cat themed accessories? Like _kitten ears_ and a _poofy tail?_ You could draw or stick on whiskers!” She added enthusiastically.

That actually sounded….acceptable to Jihoon, who nodded dumbly as she explained her idea. “Uhm…yeah…that sounds…cute, let’s go with that” he nodded, relieved to finally be getting somewhere with this shopping trip.

“Great! So I think you would look simply _divine_ in a soft- baby blue-shade, with white accessories and I’m guessing you’re a size small? I’m good with sizes” She said.

“Yup” he confirmed, then what she was implying hit him “WAIT….what….NO! It’s not for me! It’s for my girlf-“

“Suuuree….you’re ‘GIRLFRIEND’..ok… I get it” she spoke with an exaggerated wink, “Do you think you’re the only guy who comes in here to buy for themselves? Trust me, _you’re not_ , I’ve seen it all before and I know all the signs” She drawled.

She’s caught him out. He crumbles in a way that entirely fails to be convincing. Jihoon thought he was about to pass out from the heat rushing to his face at her admission and his mouth opens and shuts weakly, as he tries to formulate words for his defense.

“Seriously, you need to chill….I’m sure your boyfriend will love whatever you pick out. But if you want to make it extra special…you need to make it personal. Now if you please follow me to the changing room so you can be measured and fitted” She said, ushering him towards the private area of the store.

“Measured?.....fitted?” Jihoon gasps.

"That's generally what you do when you go shopping for bespoke pieces……get measured and fitted for sizes before buying.." Chailynn says, raising an eyebrow. And Jihoon stumbles but she’s reassuring with her stride and nonchalance that he really can't see another way out of this, so he follows her towards the changing room near the back of the boutique.

“Oh my god! WAIT”…I’ve just had the best idea….hold on!” Chailynn blurts out, stopping in her tracks. She rushes off to the side, behind a partition for a few minutes before returning with her hands behind her back, grinning dangerously.

Jihoon regards her apprehensively as she looms over him ever so slightly, her eye twitches, that's more confirmation of dark intent than her wicked smirk was. Whatever she has hiding behind her back has her presently elated.

“This might seem like a lot..….but I think you could totally pull this off!” she said, and a moment later she reveals her flash of brilliance, retrieving a white leather collar from behind her back “I think this will round your outfit off beautifully…don’t you agree … _kitten?”_ She adds with a wink

Jihoon stares at the item, agape. He feels his grip on reality slacken briefly before it goes tight again, and then--to his extreme surprise—she pulls out her other arm from behind her back to reveal a matching leash attachment. “Tah dah!!” she cheers. Chailynn smirks, triumphant in her ability to needle out a reaction from Jihoon.

“I…I…uhmm…what …how…I don’t know about this….what if he doesn’t like it…maybe it’s too much?” he asks, looking at the pieces and trying to picture the outfit as a whole.

“OMG he will love it whoever he is…trust me..….you will look...yummy” she says. “Now off you go to the changing room and I will follow you in shortly with some accessories for you to try!” Jihoon turns bright red and scurries away, he thinks he hears her mutter _Kitten_ under her breath again.

Later when she’s checking out all his items, satisfied with his purchases and more than confident that Seungcheol will be satisfied too.

“So how long have you been with your boyfriend for?” Chailynn speaks, as she stands behind the till, wrapping the delicates in tissue paper and ribbon.

“Just over three months…” Jihoon says, fiddling with a lock of hair absently.

“Wow…three months and already getting kinky!” She winks, Jihoon ducks his head and flushes.

_You have no idea lady._

“So if you’re his _kitten_ …..what is he to you?”

_Daddy…_

"He doesn’t like pet names" he mumbles, and fakes an urgent call to avoid answering any more of her disturbingly probing questions for a while.

So he pretends to be speaking to somebody on the line when he thumbs through a rainbow assortment of accessories at the counter. His eyes catch on to one item in particular, he picks up a pair of fur lined cuffs from the accessories display. He smiles, remembers his promise to Seungcheol, and in the end places them on the check-out counter alongside his other items. “I’ll take these too please” he says, avoiding her gaze as her eyes widen in alarm.

The jiggling of his nerves does not actually cease once he exits the store, a large bag hooked over an arm. Vaguely, through the cloud of unending horrific embarrassment that is descending rapidly over him, Jihoon thinks he can carry off baby blue panties quite well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is brought to you by.  
> 1) The Christmas decoration my neighbour has installed.....it's Halloween first you bitch!!!  
> 2) Christmas movie fights....Actual genuine arguments I have had with people at work on a slow day. What's your opinion on the best Xmas movie?  
> 3) Jihoon in a lingerie store....ahahhahahaha. Seriously though. It would be fun to watch his fluster.  
> 4) Seungcheol pulling out the Hyung card during arguments....I bet he does that. Everyone shut up I'm the oldest!


	16. Christmas Part 2: Home and Away again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas at home, imaginary boyfriend's and snow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK, so I know everyone is expecting some smut right now....it's coming. But I finished this and was like....fuck this will be a long ass chapter if I continue. So I am posting this now....the smut is coming I swear next! Bare with me!

 

When Jihoon arrived home, he struggled to settle into the family routine he was once accustomed to. Christmas day loomed bright and brassy in the future, and the entire household seemed to be thrumming with excitement for the day. He, however, found it difficult to match their enthusiasm for it, instead he anticipated the following week, where he would see Seungcheol again.

Dinner on his first few days back had resulted in some very stilted and awkward conversations, which left Jihoon with mixed feelings, uncertainty and an unsettled mind. His parents had been giving him furtive looks since he had returned home, perhaps sensing that something about him had changed and that he was failing to share it openly, so Jihoon had been readying himself for any questions they might suddenly spring on him.

He considered the lies he could tell and still have a clear conscience; it was very possibly uncool to outright lie to his family but he wasn’t ready to be judged for his newly awakening sexuality any more than he was ready to talk about it.

He felt it building to a head one day when his grandparents had come for dinner, his obvious excitement for his impending one-on-one time with Seungcheol thrumming in his veins, sending him almost skipping into the dining room that evening.

“Something about our little Thumbelina has changed!” His grandfather cooed, his grandmother nodded in agreement.

“It’s my hair….I’ve dyed it blonde grandpa” Jihoon confirmed.

“No, I think they mean your personality Jihoonie, your attitude is different!” Soonmi said, giving him a knowing smirk as she serves herself a portion of mash and passes the dish along.

“That’s what College life does to people, it expands their horizons, they grow and change, it’s normal” His mother added.

This would be the perfect opportunity to bring up Seungcheol, he had thought for a moment, but stopped when he saw his grandparents touch hands affectionately as they passed the plate to one another. He was only going to be home for a week, he didn’t want to disrupt the normalcy they had and he did not think certain members of his family would appreciate his somewhat cavalier attitude towards his _experimentation_. So he remained silent and nodded encouragingly at his mother.

“Jihoonie, you remember our old neighbor Maya, she used to live next door before her family relocated to the city!” Soonmi spoke.

“Uh…yeah, she was in your class at School? Doesn’t she go to your college as well?” Jihoon asked.

“Yes, she does! I’m glad you remember her! I showed her a picture of you that I had on my phone and she said you were handsome, she can’t believe how much you have changed!” Soonmi explained, her voice growing tight with amusement.

“Changed? Because I was hideous before?” Jihoon laughed at the off handed compliment.

“Our Thumbelina has always been lovely!” His grandmother chided “What Soonmi is saying, you were cute little boy and now you are growing up into a handsome young man!” she beamed at Jihoon who gushed back.

“No, granny, what _I was_ trying to say is, that Maya thought Jihoon was handsome and because her parents are abroad over the holiday I have invited her over here for Christmas dinner so he could meet her!” She explained excitedly, winking at Jihoon.

“NO!” Jihoon blurts out quickly, because he's not always so great at filtering his thoughts in times of stress. There is a sudden shift of flow at the table and five pairs of eyes focus on him. He’s vaguely aware that he has a mouthful of un-chewed food waiting and he swallows it down before clearing his throat to speak.“That’s great…that’s she’s visiting, but…No….no thanks. I mean…thanks but…I can’t” Jihoon spluttered incoherently.

“Why not?” Soonmi asked, eyebrow ridge peeking on her forehead.

“Because…. I’m gay!” Jihoon blurted out. And then it was over, it was all out in the open and there was nothing left to hide from.

“Oh my god Jihoon she’s not that ugly, you don’t have to pretend that you’re gay to avoid her, just give her a chance!” Soonmi said, rolling her eyes as his father chucked in amusement.

_What the fuck..did they not hear what I said?_

“I….I am being honest….I’m…gay-…I have a boyfriend” Jihoon said again, irritation working its way into the timbre of his voice.

Soonmi pouted at him, unimpressed “Oh really?…….what’s his name then? Quickly say it!-don’t think about making one up!” She spoke hurriedly.

“Seungcheol” he answered quickly and calmly.

Soonmi was startled with the speed of his response, she jerked her head back and narrowed her eyes “Ok, so that was the first name that came into your head _obviously!_ Seungcheol is a popular name, easy enough to come up with under pressure!” She teased, clearly disbelieving.

“He’s real!” Jihoon stated, gripping his fork tightly.

“Ok….tell us about him then.”

Jihoon glanced around the table nervously, only his mother was watching him thoughtfully, whereas the rest were busy with their meals, seemingly disinterested. “Uh…well..He’s a senior, two years older than me…he’s studying Physical therapy…uhmm…he’s the president of the fraternity I pledged for, he’s the captain of the Basketball team and he’s”

“IMAGINARY!” his sister yelled out interrupting him “Seriously Jihoon! Are you **_this_** afraid of dating another girl that you would go to all this trouble to make up an imaginary- gay-boyfriend?”

“He’s **_real!”_** Jihoon repeated, hysteria clinging to his voice, a very faint flush coming to his cheeks.

“Yeah, ok…we believe you!” She droned sarcastically “Jeez Jihoonie, trust you to imagine a boyfriend _way_ out of your league!” She teased.

Jihoon drops his head into his hands in despair. He finds it strange than neither of his parents have commented on the fact that he’s just revealed his secret boyfriend, the same way no one has commented on his sudden change in gender preferences, but he can feel his whole family give him sideways glances, wondering.

Then he seems to regain some composure and adds, "Why? Why couldn’t I? Why is he _way_ out of my league?" The questioning look he is getting from his older sister reminds him of being back in school, being young and careless and stupid, and needing her help to get out of a difficult situation he inadvertently got himself into. He hated feeling like that again, especially when it wasn’t justified.

“Because you’ve imagined him too big, chapter president? Basketball captain? A senior?...Seriously Jihoon….need I remind you, you used to be one of the founding members of the Geode society at school!” Soonmi laughed.

The cutlery clinks as he sets it down on his plate sharp, a small smile playing at his lips. "You know what Soonmi, of ALL the people I dreaded having this conversation with…you weren’t one of them. I thought **you** would understand and be on my side….but instead you’re acting like this!” He snapped

“Oh my god…stop lying Jihoonie…the game is up! I won’t make you date my friend so just chill” Soonmi says, stunned, sitting across from him at the dinner table.

“Fine, whatever, believe what you want. I know Seungcheol is my boyfriend. For the record, I tried to come out to everyone…and nobody believes me or seems to care." he replies, and leaves the table before any of them can say anything more.

“ _Soonmi_ …that was unnecessary, you shouldn’t tease your brother like that!” her mother berated.

“What? You _believe_ him?” She laughed in surprise.

“….he has been acting differently. And he is spending New Year’s week with his fraternity….perhaps there is an element of truth to what he’s saying. But that’s not the point. You should be supportive. Even if he has made it all up!” Her father advises.

“Ugh.. _fine_..I’ll talk to him!” Soonmi relents.

……………………………………..

"So how did you meet your ‘boyfriend’" Soonmi asks the following day, flopping down into the couch seat next to Jihoon.

Jihoon, who had been enjoying a very pleasant afternoon snooze, jerks awake, takes a moment to register her question and then freezes.

_She still doesn’t believe me…_

“What does it matter to you anyway?” He asks coldly, crossing his arms.

And that was fair.

Just because Soonmi was his sister, didn't give her an exclusive right to know everything about him. Even though he was dying to share, he realized with a jolt that went from his head to his hip. He wanted to share details regarding his relationship with Seungcheol, because it was Seungcheol, because Seungcheol was fascinating and amazing and _his_.

“I just want to know more about this….frankly _unbelievable_ guy you’ve hooked in your first semester in college, how you met him is probably an interesting story and I’d like to hear it!” She explained.

“It’s complicated!” He snipped at her. Complicated is the wrong word for their relationship, everything was easy and right with Seungcheol but, to be entirely fair, Jihoon can't exactly think of a more suitable adjective to describe their initial meeting.

 

“So are you not going to even _try_ and make up a story about how you met? Cause you were doing a great job of pretending yesterday at dinner! Maybe you need an audience for that kind of entertainment huh?” She laughed, free and happy.

Jihoon cracked his jaw and shook his head unhappily. “Do you have a photo of him?” She asked smugly.

“Uhh, yeah he’s my boyfriend…off course I do” Jihoon answered, pulling his phone out of his pocket and thumbing open the gallery pictures. He picked the first photo of Seungcheol he spotted, a close up of the older boy winking at the camera and he shoved the phone under his sister’s nose. “Here, see… **look!”** he snapped.

She, glanced down and then took the phone from him, bringing it up for closer inspection. A smile cracked on her face “See…I knew it…. ** _fake_** …he’s too hot…this is some model from a magazine you took a photo off”

“What?!” Jihoon seethed “YOU-B……fine…I have a photo with him” He whined, snatching the phone away and scrolling through the camera reel to a recent photo of them together, at one of Seungcheol’s basketball games, the older boy’s arm draping loosely around Jihoon’s shoulders.

Soonmi regarded the second photo a while longer before saying “Photoshop if I ever saw it…..seriously Jihoon…how pathetic have you become, although your photoshop skills are coming along nicely…remember when you photo-shopped that moustache onto Seungkwan’s face! The effort you are going for the backstory on this guy though….well done! You make him sound so dreamy!” She pestered.

“OH MY GOD! You know what….there would have been a time your lack of faith in me would have hurt….but I know the truth….Seungcheol is my boyfriend. I don’t care if you believe me or not. You can see him on Thursday when he comes to collect me, then you can apologize for being such a bitch!” he hissed, jumping of the couch and stalking out of the room to the sound of her mirthless laughter.

……………………………………………….

Jihoon loved his family, he really did, but he got bored easily at home, bored with the endless monotony of being stuck in a small town seeing the same faces day in day out. He missed the city and College life and Seungcheol, he was still enjoying the feeling of shaking off years of being a small fish in a smaller pond in his home town.

Occasionally, at night as he prepared for bed he’d find himself staring back out his bedroom window into the darkness, the snow covering every surface like a crisp white sheet and he would feel his stomach twist with the sensation of something _missing_.

_Seungcheol_

He hasn't heard from Seungcheol since he arrived at home; and by Christmas eve, he was already starting to feel uneasy, the safety of the older boy’s presence was calming and soothing to him. He knows it's inconsistent with the person he used to be, but there's something comforting about Seungcheol’s presence, a familiarity he can't bring himself to give up.

So when he awoke early on Christmas morning, to find his phone ringing, he answered it unknowingly, brain still hazy with sleep.

“Merry Christmas Baby” Seungcheol serenaded over the line.

Getting that call that morning -was a sweet relief, something about Seungcheol thinking about him made him happy in a way he couldn't quite quantify. He wonders if Seungcheol knew what he was doing and sensed his misery, had somehow tapped into a channel of emotions Jihoon didn't know he was broadcasting, and rang to comfort him.

“Cheol…” He replied happily “I missed you….Merry Christmas Hyung!”

 “Ahh…Jihoonie…I have missed you too. I’ve wanted to call you everyday since you left!” Seungcheol admitted.

“Then why didn’t you?” Jihoon asked.

“Because Jun said I was being too clingy and obsessive….didn’t want you to think I was a whiny bitch who couldn’t handle being away from you for a single week” He admitted with no shame.

“Aww..Cheol…you know I would think that regardless” Jihoon teased.

“Heeyyyy!” Seungcheol huffed as Jihoon openly laughed, loose and relaxed again at hearing his voice.

After that, Christmas day passed in a blur of family visits and presents and heaps of food. Moments that had been planned and agonized over forever, but almost immediately forgotten. Jihoon spent most of his day overeating and smiling lazily over Christmas movies on television in-between text messages from Seungcheol and his other friends. He lay on the couch suitably stuffed, managing half a box of chocolates in between breakfast and lunch, more pudding than was strictly allowed after dinner and drinking more eggnog than was strictly advisable whenever he felt like it.

None of his family comment on the tension they're all feeling, the growing sense of dread, until the morning Jihoon is due to leave.

Jihoon is alone in his old bedroom, going over some research for his next music assignment absently, while he waits for Seungcheol to pick him up. He doesn't need to be studying over the Christmas break, but the weather hasn’t improved and he doesn't have anything else to do until Seungcheol arrives. In the back of his mind he knows Seungcheol won’t permit study breaks in the coming week so he'd rather be overworked than understudied. He’s also doing his best to avoid Soonmi as much as possible, who has not ceased in her quest to disprove his ‘imaginary’ boyfriend.

“Ok, it’s your last chance….go on…admit it!” Soonmi says, traipsing confidently into his room and plopping down on the narrow bad next to Jihoon.

“Last chance for what? Admit what exactly?” Jihoon says, placing a bookmarker between the pages, before closing it.

“Admit this whole ‘I’m gay’ thing was a lie…..you just made it up. Jihoonie… I get that you’re a ‘big’ boy now and trying to ‘find’ yourself in college and all. But this isn’t you….you’ve made up this really weird life up, one where you have some amazing model boyfriend and a great life in college. But that’s not who you are” She said openly. “This here, is who you are, everything in this room is who you are” she added, gesturing to artifacts littering the walls and the shelf space.

The initial shock of her statement begins to wear off and he remembers not to argue, that he only has to wait a little while longer before he can prove her wrong. But every man has his breaking point, though, and when the tears forming in his eyes sting and blur his vision, Jihoon's eyes fall onto his lap, away from his sisters relentless taunting.

"I hope you’re big enough to apologize to me later" Jihoon says, not meeting her eyes. "I think the world of you….but you obviously think so little of me" he murmured.

She seems to have sensed that her comments have crossed the line and her brows crease, "I didn’t mean it like that. I wish you didn’t have to go back so soon, can’t you cancel this… _trip_ …you have planned?" Soonmi says suddenly, softly, "You can hang out with me and my friends, I miss having my shy little brother around who wants to go with me everywhere and crushes on my girlfriends"

Jihoon curls his hands around his book and looks around his room; it’s been untouched since he left for college and his eye’s flash across particular objects; his music trophy’s, posters of girl bands he had crushes on, his geode collection, his almost blank high-school year book, artifacts that bleed the reality out of his new life, drop by aching drop. And what he wants to do is rip them all off the wall, throw them out or burn them up, but he knows that's just an impulse, he wants to shed those memories of who he used to be, how people defined him back then. But he knows the person who slept in this room, isn’t the person he is now. It feels like a momentous waste of time, all these years training himself to be someone that, perhaps, he was never meant to be.

"I’m not a kid anymore Soonmi……I don’t want to be that kid anymore" he says, and Soonmi smiles. "You don’t have to look out for me anymore, I can take care of myself" Jihoon says.

“I know…but we’re family…” Soonmi murmurs, and her voice is tender, she sounds like she means to say ‘ _I love you, little bro’_ and nothing less. “I guess I just don’t like the idea of you growing up so fast…it’s scary. And now you say you’re gay….when did this happen? It’s just a lot to take in because I never saw the signs and I’m **your sister** ” she confides.

The doorbell rings then and she bounces out of his room excitedly “Is that your imaginary boyfriend at the door I hear?” she calls back at Jihoon.

“Where are you going?!” Jihoon scrambles to collect his belongings, tucking his book away and careful to hide Seungcheol’s secret present underneath a thick jumper, before zipping up his bag.

“I’m going to introduce myself to your imaginary boyfriend….20 bucks says it’s Seungkwan with a moustache!” She laughed as she bolted down the stairs.

Jihoon sighed “Don’t embarrass me please Soonmi!”

Soonmi giggled as she ran up to the front door, composing herself with a plastered stern expression before pulling the door open and….

“Hi…..I’m Seung-

“Oh my god you’re real!” She screamed, flailing her hand wildly.

“-gcheol……..what?” Seungcheol jerked his head back in confusion.

“Oh my god…..oh shit…..you’re really real…. _wow_ …look at you…you’re like…some kinda living Adonis….ok….ohno…. _Jihoonie I’m soo sorry!”_ She wails, leaving Seungcheol at the door and running back up the stairs.

Seungcheol stood dumbfounded for a moment, before a small older woman came to the door.

“You must be…..Seungcheol?” She asked timidly.

“Uhhh yes, Choi Seungcheol”  he bowed politely as he greeted her.

“I’m Jihoon’s mother, it’s so nice to meet you! Please come in”

 

“Jihoonie…” Soonmi rounded the staircase, sheepish and redfaced, almost colliding with Jihoon in the hallway as he carried his luggage "Ji….I’m so sorry Ji…sorry I didn’t believe you" Soonmi says--her voice is distant, filtered through a haze of horrified realization. "I feel terrible…you must think I’m the worst sister in the world right now!” She mutters.

“Yeah…. A little….it’s okay” Jihoon says with a listless shrug of his shoulders. He thought he could trust Soonmi to believe him, not to call him on it. But she’d done the exact opposite.

"You're not going to…..hate me for not believing you? Please don’t hate me!" Soonmi begs quietly, gripping his shoulders.

"No, I don’t hate you..…I never needed you to believe me…it would have been nice though" Jihoon murmurs, and he gives her a brief hug and a small smile.

She walks him down the stairs, holding the other side of his bag as he lugs it down, and upon reaching partway down he can see Seungcheol conversing with his parents. Seungcheol must be demonstrating the charming side of his personality because both his parents break out into warm laughter at whatever anecdote he is sharing.

“Then he said.. he’d use my corpse as a stool to reach his phone-.. _hey!”_ Seungcheol stops his conversation mid-sentence when he sees Jihoon descend. The feeling of warmth spreading in his chest at the sight of Seungcheol's slow smile, the one that starts small and then takes over his entire fucking face--well. That's something he can blame on their short period of separation. Absence does make the heart grow fonder after all.

And the pink flushing his cheeks, the tips of his ears, nose and the heat pooling in his chest when he hugs Seungcheol and nuzzles him a little, well that was probably not something he can blame on anything but himself.

"I missed you so much kitten" Seungcheol says. His arms wrap around Jihoon and he drops his head onto Jihoon's shoulder, even as Jihoon turns to bury his face in Seungcheol's neck. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Soonmi gesturing wildly to their parents, excuses pouring out, but he doesn’t try and listen in- because it doesn’t matter anymore, soon Seungcheol is picking up his luggage and packing it in the back of the 4x4 he has hired for the trip and they’re waving goodbye as the Jeep speeds off.

………………………………..

They drive alone for half an hour before they pick up Seungkwan who lives closest to Jihoon’s home and it’s another half hour, until they collect Hoshi and Jun. It was previously agreed that Mingyu, Wonwoo, Vernon and DK would hire another car for their journey to the cabin.

From his position in the jeep, the snowfall looked like stars. The moon glowed behind the clouds and lit every flake as they fell, one by one, by the thousands, filling empty fields and covering the hills as the drove past them. 

Hoshi, Jun and Seungkwan are passed out in the back of the jeep, heads lolling from side to side with each jerk and dip the car makes. Jihoon smiles softly as he regards them in the rear-view mirror, his smile deepens as Seungcheol reaches over and intertwines their fingers, one hand steering the Jeep.

“So, you told your parents about..us?” He asked tentatively.

“Uh..yeah, I had to….sorta… Is that ok?” Jihoon asked, Seungcheol squeezed his hand briefly, before letting it go to change gears as they climbed a slope.

“Of course! As long as you’re ok telling them, I’m happy…..I don’t care who knows….it doesn’t change anything if they didn’t approve” He assured.

“But…when your sister answered the door…she seemed _pretty surprised_ , she said something about me _‘being real’_ and something else about me being a _‘living Adonis’_ …” He attempted an officious look, only to ruin the effect entirely by grinning stupidly “What was that about? Did **you** describe me like that?” Seungcheol asked grinning smugly.

Jihoon barked a laugh and then followed it with a half-shrug, meaning he wasn't going to talk about it anymore, Seungcheol was lucky to get even that bit of ego inflation.

Jihoon lifted his gaze to the darkening sky, just able to pick out the flakes falling from seemingly forever in the dim, the Jeep’s headlight’s lighting them a path through the cloying sleet and snow, Christmas music drifting from somewhere in the back seat, no doubt from Seungkwan’s I-pod.

They passed a few cars as they drove, but for the most part there seemed to be a hush falling over the area, as though the rapidly falling snow had discouraged others from wondering out.

Seungcheol reached for his knee, another squeeze “You should get some sleep Jihoonie….it’s a long drive and I want you well rested for when we arrive…. _.woah_ …I didn’t mean for it to sound pervy…..I just don’t want you to be exhausted” Seungcheol huffed at his unintended borderline innuendo.

Jihoon giggled and tilted his head against the window, shutting his eyes briefly. Seungcheol chanced a glance over at him, an expression of sudden serenity stilling Jihoon’s features into almost ethereal beauty. Seungcheol’s breath caught in his chest as he stared at his boyfriend’s overwhelmingly _gorgeous_ face, his appearance just so _perfect_ , there and then, with the wintery air surrounding the glass. And when Jihoon opened his eyes again, slow and catlike with gratification, Seungcheol couldn’t help but wonder if he was dreaming.

Jihoon’s forehead was numb from being in contact with the icy car window, the snow didn’t seem to be settling much, and the window frost bit his skin, but he just couldn’t quite seem to force himself from his spot just yet. The jaunty Christmas tunes floating through the car and Seungcheol’s gentle rhythmic breathing, drew an oddly peaceful smile to Jihoon’s face as he kept his gaze fixed on the flakes drifting down from the sky.

“ _Beautiful,_ ” Jihoon whispered, watching the snow fall gracefully on the surrounding fields, blanketing every surface in clean, white frost.

“Yeah, you are” Seungcheol said with a low rumble at his side and somehow Jihoon couldn’t find it in himself to tease him for being so sappy in that moment. He turned around to see Seungcheol watching him with a lopsided smile, Jihoon couldn’t help but smile back as they interlocked their fingers once more.

Hoshi’s head poked through the gap between their seats then “Sorry to interrupt fellas…, I know you guy’s are having a _moment_ …..but I need to take a piss, can you pull over please?” he asked.

Seungcheol’s expression shifted to unamused “You got an empty bottle back there haven’t you?…..use it” He said flatly.

“I also…need to piss _something fierce_ Seungcheol-Hyung….I just didn’t want to interrupt you being a giant sap!” Jun said, joining Hoshi’s head peering into the front seat area.

“Yeah me too…..although…. _gosh_ that was so romantic I was trying so hard not to squee back here!” Seungkwan joins in as well.

“Oh for fuck’s sake…hold on!” Seungcheol snaps, indicating to pull off the road.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is brought to you by.  
> 1) Making up fake names that sound vaguely Korean.....did it work? Lol  
> 2)College life...aww...I miss college life so much. I hate adulating.  
> 3) Anoying siblings....I love my family and all but when they question stuff you say....grrrr  
> 4) Sappy Seungcheol.....god I love him so much! ^_^


	17. Christmas Part 3: Not Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snow, serial killers, you don't make friends with UNO

As they drove on, high above them the clouds parted slightly, allowing sunlight to shine through. The blizzard that had followed them throughout the night, whipping snow against the car relentlessly was beginning to break up, turning into a storm more of slush now than snow.

“What the **fuck?…** the GPS says I missed a turning…oh..Now it’s saying to keep going?” Seungcheol’s patience for uncooperative technology was wearing thin at this point and he leaned over the dashboard, gnashing his teeth and whacking the device hard as if the physical threat would goad it into making sense. It bleeped once and then recalculated a new route. “OK… _now_ it’s telling me there **are** no mapped roads to our destination? Stupid-piece-of-junk-stup-“

Seungcheol trails off as his eye catches something, he swerves the car to a stop about 20 feet away from a narrow path, the snow covered sign indicates that accommodation is nearby and points in the direction of the steep road ahead “It’s probably a sign for the cabin…Mingyu _did_ say it was only accessible by foot” Jun says, peering out his passenger window at the thick blanket of snow covering the slope up to the cabin as far as the eye can see.

“Yep…looks like we will be _hiking_ the rest of the way folks!” Seungcheol says, unbuckling his seat belt.

……………………….

They reached the cabin after a short trek, to find the other members of their expedition had already arrived and were receiving orientation from the groundskeeper.

“Ahh..I see you made it in one piece!” The keeper greets them as they enter the large cabin, dumping their belongings on the floor in exhaustion. “That was lucky considering the storm we had last night…Oh….wait.. there’s nine of you? I’m afraid there are only 8 beds including the futon, two of you will have to share the double bed” he added.

“DIBS!!” Seungcheol yelled, grabbing Jihoon’s hand and raising them both together quickly.

“Dib-…. _Damnit!”_ Vernon fumed at his delayed reflexes.

“Ok well…the double bed is on the highest floor, a converted attic space, quite a view from up there” the keeper continued to say. “It’s quite cold up there at night though, an ice box…so it’s vital that you keep the lower fires burning if you’d prefer not to freeze to death.”

“That’s alright......I’m good at keeping Jihoonie here warm” Seungcheol said with a sly grin at the smaller boy’s direction. Jihoon stiffened at his forwardness in front of a complete stranger and repressed a grumble as Seungcheol stepped closer and spoke lowly in his ear. “I’ve got a special present for you Jihoonie” he says with a leer.

“Moron” Jihoon mutters, visibly embarrassed. Seungcheol stops grinning once he realizes Jihoon is not entirely impressed but quite bothered actually.

“What…what did I say?” Seungcheol asked sincerely.

Hoshi was tinkering with the light switches on the wall, trying to determine which switch controlled which fixture, when a surge of electric current droned through, dimming the lights briefly and delivering a small shock to his hand. “AHH…damn…..it just shocked me!” He whined.

“Yeah….it’ll do that to ya, it’s an old building and the electrics haven’t been upgraded yet, and I can’t remember the last time they had a safety check to be honest..so…better watch out for power surges, they’re pretty regular in this area and the snowstorm has made everything go a little haywire. Make sure to take up extra candles to the room’s in case there is a blackout, these stairs are old and you could slip and break your neck. There is a backup generator outback, but that will only fuel the water heater and the kitchen appliances” The keeper explained.

“Wow…what a ringing endorsement! Anything _else_ we need to know about this death trap?” DK asked cheerfully.

“No, that’s about it I think….I’ll be off now! Better get down to town again, in-case another storm hits!” He said.

“Alright well, if you can just tell us the WI-FI password, you can be on your way!” Wonwoo said.

“WI-FI password?....ohhahahahahah! Good one son!” The keeper chortled in amusement.

“How do you spell that?” Seungcheol asked, pulling out his phone to take note. Jihoon waved him off.

“No Cheol….I think he means there IS no WI-FI….right?” Jihoon said turning to the keeper for confirmation.

“Like I said, old building, old wiring….no internet access here I’m afraid. People usually come up here for the peace and solitude that nature provides” he said wistfully, turning and closing the cabin door behind him.

“Peace and solitude?….There’s nine of us here! Lame! I didn’t sign up for this!” Jun huffs.

“Yeah..me neither…what are we going to do for a week exactly? Stare longingly in each others eyes until one of snaps and kill’s the rest?……hey that actually sounds like a plan” Hoshi said.

“Stop it you two! C’mon…it’ll be fun…it will be like camping….but in a cabin!” Mingyu assures positively.

“You can still get phone signal when you’re camping Mingyu…I haven’t been able to send messages for the last two hours…..this is _torture!”_ Seungkwan complains.

“Well….I for one don’t give a shit…..no WI-FI, no distractions….more time for..the important stuff… _eh Jihoonie?”_ Seungcheol says with a nudge and a wink, causing the other boys to snicker in amusement.

Jihoon merely stared for a moment, his eyes drilling deep into Seungcheol’s as if to mentally berate him for being so open and causal about their sex life. And then he closed his eyes, gathering breath through his nose, as if he was preparing to scream.

For a few seconds Jihoon considered punching Seungcheol, but he let it go. He could hardly blame the idiot for not reading his mind. Seungcheol was just being himself, brazen and unashamedly obtuse.

“There are some board games in the airing cupboard that might keep us entertained….shall I have a look?” Seungkwan offered, moving over to the storage space and rifling through the selection left over from previous visitors. ”Oh..Monopoly…who’s up for th-?”

“NO…. _no_ …Sorry. My parent’s nearly divorced playing that game….bad memories!” Vernon said, shaking his head.

“Ok….uhmm…Cleudo?”

“Woah, woah….I don’t think so. A neighbour of mine…plotted his wife’s death after inspiration from that game…guaranteed bad times.” Wonwoo shook his head.

“Fine….what about…UNO?”

“We hate each other enough as it is already….don’t bring out the UNO in us...besides..Seungcheol always cheats!” Jun laughed.

“Ok..well…are there ANY games that you don’t have post traumatic stress disorder over?” Seungkwan grilled.

“Let’s just play monopoly you guys….sorry Vernon, if it comes to divorce, I promise we will settle outside court,  you can keep the good china, the silver goes to Mingyu and Jihoon gets full custody of Cheol-Hyung” DK joked.

“Yeah… _alright_ ” Vernon huffs.

“Seems fair!”

“Cool”

“I object!” Jihoon raises his hand.

“Sorry Jihoonie, you’re stuck with him!” Mingyu laughs, unpacking groceries into the pantry. “It sounds like fun you guys but count me out, I need to make a start on dinner!”

 

……………………………………………………….

When they split up to explore the cabin, Jihoon ventures up to their room in the attic to leave his luggage and stops by the large bay window to look out. The cabin has an almost magical quality to it. It’s nestled deep in the forest and the thick planes of snow surrounding the fir trees create a winter wonderland imagery as far as the eye can see. The arched ceilings and cloistered wooden windows off-set the cozy décor. It’s not unlike a house out of a Dutch folklore tale Jihoon used to read as a child, he realizes, and in the pleased haze of this discovery, he completely forgets to address the noise behind him until it’s too late.

Seungcheol had crept up behind him and pounced, straddling and pinning him to the bed with his body. Jihoon whined at the contrast of cool sheets at his back and the heat of the other boy’s body pressed intimately against him. Jihoon snarled up at Seungcheol, “Ha..cheol you dick!…You scared me!” he huffed as the older boy nuzzled into his neck.

Seungcheol, in an apparently irrepressibly good mood, grinned down at his counterpart and teased. “You should always be on the alert for danger Jihoon…I could have been anybody…you need to be prepared or else!”

“Or what?”

Seungcheol seemed to consider it for a moment, then grinned down at him, “Or else…..this” suddenly reaching to attack Jihoon’s sides with playful fingers. The resulting slight tremble and shiver that passed along Jihoon’s body as his sensitive spots are assaulted was instant. Seungcheol repeated the action along the skin of his inner arm and the shriek of laughter and his sudden transformation into a writhing and bucking coil nearly sent Seungcheol tumbling. With glee he increased his efforts and was rewarded with a yowl and breathless "ENOUGH!!" from the younger boy.

Seungcheol paused, fingers curved at the ready, prepared to tickle again if necessary. His smile increased as the snickering boy wiped the back of one hand over his watering eyes, his voice low and somehow serious.

“Enough….you know what happens when you tickle me…..stop!” He narrowed his eyes at his companion, giving him his best intimidating scowl.

“Ok..sorry..I just came up here to give you your present Jihoonie!” Seungcheol said, leaning in to nip at his ear.

“Ahh.. _Cheol_ ….not now…we just got here…can’t you hold on a while longer? I’m tired!” Jihoon admonished his boyfriend’s frankly exhausting sexual drive.

Seungcheol reached out to the edge of the bed for something out of sight “It won’t take that long…I just-“

“No…Cheol…not now!” Jihoon enunciated sharply.

Seungcheol sighed, sitting up, releasing Jihoon’s hips and stretching, sadly agreeing, "I’m sorry.." He leapt up again easily and they continued on their tour of the cabin, minus Seungcheol’s previous bubbling attitude. He seemed quiet, almost solemn now, and this made Jihoon wonder just a bit at his intent.

………………………….

Heeding the keeper’s advice about lighting a fire as soon as possible, and sensing a drop in temperature as the sun began to set, they set about gathering coal and firewood from the shed outside and making some attempt at warming the cabin. It took the better part of two hours and 9 fledgling brains to figure out how to open the vent and distribute heat amongst the rooms. At one point Vernon suggested they google their query before the stark realisation hit them once more that they did not have access to even Google anymore which resulted in another debate about how to pass the time.

Seungcheol had half an ear on the heated exchange, as he was poking the fire when he heard a curious shuffle from the first floor, he glanced around at the other boys around him, mentally counting heads and then promptly stilled, stopping in his tracks as he heard the noise again.

Seungcheol jerked his head towards the sound. Hoping it was only his imagination, because he was certain everyone was accounted for and currently present in the main room. “Did you guys hear that?” He questioned seriously, frowning. The conversation stalled and everyone turned their attention towards him.

Both Wonwoo and Jun moved to stand midway between the staircase and the main room, growing nervous and shivering visibly as a cold breeze swept through the lodge.

“Hear what?” Jihoon queried from his seat, almost too fearful, noting Seungcheol’s frown but his own ears picking up nothing but the distant hum of the water heater.

“Stop it Cheol-Hyung…you’re scaring us” Mingyu called after him, his voice somehow muffled by the few feet between them.

Seungkwan raised a hand in acknowledgement and called back, “I heard it….a creaking….from upstairs…like footsteps?”

Seungcheol’s eyes darkened, his eyebrows drawing together as he tipped his head downwards. “No…it was more of…a _shuffle_ ….and I’m not making it up…I definitely heard something from upstairs…and we’re all down here.” he said, gruff but edgy, and Jihoon felt his prior sensation of contentment for the evening shrivel up inside him.

“Should we check it out?” Wonwoo suggested, darting his eyes amongst the group anxiously.

“Fuck no! Are you stupid…that’s what the killer _wants_ us to do! He wants us to investigate the noise!” Hoshi blubbered in indignation.

“The killer?” Seungcheol asked with a speculative look back.

“Yeah the killer…the escaped mental patient, the inbred hippy that scalps his victims, the tormented teen who drowned in the lake during camp, the chainsaw wielding psychopath that dry fucks corpses!” Hoshi explained hysterically.

“Hosh…I think you just described every villain from every B horror movie ever created…you need to relax!” Seungcheol said, as he turned away, trudging up the stairs with heavy steps.

“Whatever dude…it’s your funeral!” Hoshi waved, sitting straight in his seat.

Jihoon springs out of his seat as he watches him ascend. Seungcheol, because he's impossibly brave and insufferable and _Seungcheol_ , thinks it’s a good idea to go wondering in darkened corridors in the middle of nowhere with potential killers on the loose and says dangerously heroic things like “I’ll go check it out…you ladies, and Jihoon …can stay here!”

“No! Don’t go Cheol!” Jihoon whimpered, gripping on to him before seeing himself and pulling away, determined to not cling in fear and beg like a cliché of a weeping teenage girl in a slasher film.

 “What if there _is_ a killer…..it’s dangerous…don’t go you could get _hurt_ …send Jun or something!” he offered.

“Heyy!” Jun claimed in offence.

Seungcheol waved his hand at Jihoon, motioning for him to remain, because he couldn’t trust himself to look back without turning back for him entirely, so he clenched his jaw and continued up the darkened steps, illuminating the path with his phone.

They all sit silently in dreaded anticipation as he climbs the staircase to the upper level. Seungcheol doesn't say anything as he disappears around the corner, but a small noise creeps through the cabin making the hairs on their necks stand erect. Jihoon clenches his hands, he is afraid to call out for him again. Eventually he has to, though, because the noise is getting louder steadily and it might well be, you know, the noise your boyfriend makes as he’s being slashed to death by a rampant serial killer.

“CHEOL…what’s going on!!” He panics.

Seungcheol rounds the corner again looking flustered but, thankfully, alive. “It was just a fucking Owl…there was an open window and it was trapped. It’s alright, I let it out …but it shat absolutely everywhere!” He said, skipping down the steps.

They all breathe an audible sigh of relief and slump back into their seats.

Jihoon’s heart is going a mile a minute as he watched Seungcheol descend, then Hoshi taps him on the shoulder to gain his attention. "That’s what the killer _wants_ us to think…that it was just a ‘bird’…to lull us into a false sense of security" Hoshi says, voice high-pitched in horror.

DK leans close to whisper in his ear "Then…when we’re sleeping…he picks us off… **one-by-one** " he hisses, his voice like steel.

For a second, Jihoon is completely frozen watching them both. Then the moment breaks and they are both howling with laughter, leaning into each other and cackling.

Jihoon turns to give them a scathing look for being such teasing bastards when Seungcheol comes up behind them and grasps their shoulders, stilling their amusement "Oh _guys_ …” he says, pitching his voice low and serious. He squeezes their shoulders painfully, and Jihoon is gratified by how much the bastards aren’t laughing _now_.

"Uh," Hoshi says, swallowing. "Yes, Hyung?"

“It’s _your_ room the Owl shat all over….have fun cleaning that up”

…………………..

After dinner, they gathered by the large fire pit in the main room, as Hoshi poked at it with a skewer and probed it until a roaring fire comes to life in front of them, making the distorted shadows on the wall disappear, dispelling the lurking fear in them.

“We could roast marshmallows on this fire!” Seungkwan suggested happily.

“Yeah, we _could_. Do you want to trek down to the town and pick us up some?” Jun suggested sarcastically.

“No” Seungkwan returned flatly.

“Then why suggest it? Why put hope in our hearts?” Jun added as Seungkwan flipped him the bird.

“I think I might have packed some actually, let me go check!” Mingyu offered, tottering back into the kitchen.

Jihoon stood by the fire, nursing a beer and looked over at Seungcheol, eyes meeting in the muted glow of the Christmas tree lights and the older boy beckoned him closer to where he was seated, patting the arm rest of the couch for Jihoon to sit. He whispered in his ear as Jihoon slipped off the arm of the chair and curled up against his side, replete with food and drink and relaxed enough to start appreciating the evening “Even if there is a killer upstairs waiting for us, this has been a pretty perfect evening so far- I think  it’s cause you’re here with me….I’d be happy anywhere with you”. There was such a longing in Seungcheol’s eyes that it shook him to the core.

Jihoon felt his body clench with the emotion _,_ but just before the surge of affection sent him giddy and high, a few choice words seeped through and yanked Jihoon back down.

“So… can I give you your present now?” Seungcheol repeated with a suggestive raise of his eyebrows.

Jihoon barked a short, shocked laugh and took a steadying, deep swallow of his beer, bolstered by the familiar amused glint in Seungcheol’s gaze.

 “What …now-now? Uh..Seems rude to just…leave these guys to clean up behind us!” Jihoon murmured, fingers absently toying with the hem of Seungcheols shirt. “I promised Mingyu I would help him with the dishes…it’s only fair, since he did cook! And you need to re-stock the fireplace Hyung”

 Seungcheol shrugged, loose and lopsided “It won’t take long…we can be down again before they notice we’re gone”

Seungcheol had been so patient all day and Jihoon was secretly suppressing a semi and is more than aroused by his insistence _already_ \--but he doesn't see any reason not to milk this teasing a while longer. “No, Cheol….just wait a little longer. Soon, ok”

…………………………..

 “I’m going up to bed!” Jihoon announces after he finishes drying dishes, and Seungcheol almost trips over the pile of logs he’s been chucking into the fire in a rush to follow him. Jihoon turns on the staircase laughing, helpless and fond as he pushed Seungcheol back down one step, unable to help his smile at the mortally offended light in Seungcheol’s narrowed eyes.

“You can’t come until you’ve finished your job Seungcheol, finish re-stocking out the fireplace! We don’t want to freeze to death later” Jihoon informs him sternly and he turns back around to climb the staircase again, a knowing smile on his face as Seungcheol slumps his shoulders in disappointment.

“But…I want to give you your Christmas present!” he huffs to Jihoon’s retreating form.

“It can wait!” he shouted down.

Seungcheol growled, confused at the increasing trend of denial Jihoon had been displaying. He trudged back towards the fireplace to continue his work.

………………………………

When Seungcheol _finally_ makes it to their room, he looks tired, strung out but his eyes fix on Jihoon as he walked through the door, boring into his skin. Seungcheol cocked an eyebrow as he unbuckled his belt and a smile twisted his features smugly as he stripped himself down to his boxers, _slowly_ and God, Jihoon _loved_ watching him, as he lay under the blankets, tucked away, warmth soothing his limbs.

“You warm enough under there? I fucking hope so…God knows I spent enough time cleaning out that fucking fireplace. Thanks for volunteering me for the job by the way….I _really_ appreciate it” his tone heavy with sarcasm.

Jihoon closed his eyes and reviewed his actions before he spoke very precisely, softly as he cracked open a lid to meet Seungcheol’s amused stare. “You’re _welcome_ Hyung….I thought you could use a little distraction, you seem _so_ intent on one thing and one thing only today!”

“Oh yeah….what’s that?” Seungcheol asked, brows creased cutely in confusion.

Jihoon rolled his eyes at his apparent attempt at deflection. “Never mind. You know Cheol...despite how cold it is, the sporadic hot water, the blackouts, listening to Hoshi whine, the potential killer hiding in the house....this place is really...kinda _magical_ ” Jihoon said, staring up at the wooden beams of the ceiling as he lay in bed.

Seungcheol shifted to the side of the room to dim the lights, until only the bedside lamps glowed. “Magical?....really?, you know I think I pissed an icicle out earlier -it’s _that_ fucking cold! But if you like it….then I guess I like it too”

Jihoon smiled, dropping his gaze down to the older boy “But it _is_ magical...you know...the cabin..the snow...the woods….the atmosphere..it’s like something out of a fairy tale I used to read” Jihoon said wistfully.

“Fairytale huh? Which one? Like...Snow White? In this version of your story are you Snow White? Snow White and the Seven Dickheads downstairs?” Seungcheol joked, crawling over the bed towards the slighter boy.

“Hhmm...yeah..I think your fairy tale book was very different to mine” Jihoon says, a howl of mirth escaping around the words.

“What...you’ve never heard of Snow White and the Seven Dicks?” Seungcheol murmured, dipping his head down to suckle on the soft skin of Jihoon exposed neck.

Jihoon moaned softly, tilting his head to the side, permitting him more access “No...that..that’s sounds like the title of a weird, alternative Porno Cheol... _ahhh_ ” he hissed as Seungcheol moved lower down to bite lightly on his collar bone once, before propping himself up with one elbow.

“Hmm...it’s a great story...Snow White, aka, Jihoon, has the milkiest thighs in the world..and these seven dicks kidnap him so they can have their wicked way with him” Seungcheol commented on Jihoon’s inarguable virtue in an attempt to win him favor.

Jihoon chuckled, disbelieving and oddly delighted all at once, “Now..that _does_ sound like a porn film Cheol, If I’m snow white...who are you exactly in this story...are you one of the Dwarves? Is your name Horny?” Jihoon teased.

“Nah…. _I’m the prince_. It’s a good story, one of my favourites. Here me out….So these Dicks are about to descend on Snow-White and then I-prince charming- _a living Adonis I’ve been told_ , shows up at the cabin, seeking out Snow White’s famously, creamy thighs. I slay the Seven Dicks...then piledrive-fuck Snow White till kingdom come” Seungcheol explained proudly.

Jihoon just laughs harder, shaking with it, clutching his stomach at the ridiculous story his boyfriend was inventing for his amusement. “Yeah...you _definitely_ had a weird childhood, my fairy-tale was much more .. _subdued_ ” Jihoon said.

“You’re missing out Jihoonie...there are some real classics out there....ever heard of...Golden Shower Locks and the Three barebacks?” Seungcheol asked with mock seriousness.

Jihoon gaped and a laugh bubbled up and out of his mouth before he could control it. Jihoon was laughing so hard he couldn’t speak but shook his head to say no. Seungcheol smiled, bright and triumphant with the security of Jihoon’s amusement to spur him on. “That was another of my favourites- what about Little Red Crotch-less pants?”

Jihoon squinted at him and mock pouted, the flush to his cheeks deepening somewhat. “Not that either...hmm..Jack and the Giant Stifffy? All _classics..._ I should read them to you one day” Seungcheol says, grinning at the younger boy underneath him.

Jihoon’s laughter subsides into a warm chuckle, he beams at Seungcheol as his breathing evens out again. He slips a hand up the older boy’s chest slowly, until he curls it around his neck, fingers threading trough the hair at the nape “Why is it that you can be so adorable even when you’re being an absolute perv?” Jihoon asked

Seungcheol leered at him for a moment, then his leer slipped into that lopsided fond smile. “Dimples,” Jihoon whispers. “It must be your _dimples._ ” Jihoon leaned up to slip his mouth over the others, eyes slipping shut as Seungcheol’s tongue slid deftly into his mouth and he moaned wantonly into the kiss.

Seungcheol steadied him, drawing back to gaze down at him with hooded eyes, a hand cupping his cheek "Jihoonie?”

Jihoon’s ebon eyes snapped up to meet his, the blush beneath them deepening as Jihoon still savored the taste of the larger boy lips “ I still haven’t given you your Christmas present” he reminded Jihoon.

“Well, you’re so _eager_ aren’t you" he says, his voice all suggestion, "I guess I’ve kept you waiting long enough…"Jihoon whispered, fingers moving from the back of Seungcheol head and slipping southward. Seungcheol watches the movement then halts it with a light grip of his wrist.

“uhh..No...I _actually_ got you a present...I want to give it to you...and it’s not my dick!” he laughed, eyes creasing with laughter.

Jihoon gapes at him, stunned, as everything slots into place. “Oh....ohh….like an _actual_ present?..I thought you….uhm....sorry” Jihoon murmured, blushing brightly. Seungcheol dipped down and pecked him on the nose, before lifting himself off and swinging his legs around and out of bed, to rummage through his bag.

Jihoon glanced sideways at him. Seungcheol’s face, so often twisted in that smug grin, was serious, eyes wide open, mouth slightly parted in concentration. Jihoon glanced at him without moving. "So…. _this_ is the present you were talking about all day?"

Seungcheol cleared his throat, moving around nervously, "Uh...yeah..you don't have to wear it if you don’t want to...it’s just something small....I just thought you might like it-" He paused for a second, watching Jihoon’s eyes narrow, then he opened the box and took out a silver bracelet. "-um..it’s a charm bracelet...hence uhmm…all the charms.." Seungcheol spoke softly, only glancing up at Jihoon every few seconds as he took his hand and slipped the clasp around his wrist, closing it. Jihoon gasped at the unexpected gesture, torn between regret and a surge of desire so strong that it left him dizzy as he blinked up in surprise at the older boy.

Jihoon fingered one charm, turned it over and examined it, _a flower_ , he looked up at Seungcheol questionably. An uncomfortable silence ensued. Seungcheol broke it before it went on even longer, "Oh…It’s a flower...because you’re my precious petal ...there is also a starfish charm ya know…cause you’re a sleepy starfish, and a pom-pom charm, a little-knife one, the shop assistant thought it was kinda weird to add that one actually" Seungcheol began pointing out each charm on the link associated with his various nicknames for Jihoon.

Jihoon felt his insides twist and revolt against his body, swallowing hard against the lump forming in his throat, telling himself that Seungcheol had simply taken him by surprise, and nothing more. Which couldn’t explain why he was tearing up, averting his gaze as he blinked back the rush of gritty, hot gratitude in his eyes. He felt an immense pressure build up suddenly in his chest, painful and all-encompassing and wishing to escape it and dreading poisoning this moment he fled into the bathroom as his eyes brimmed with hot tears.

When the door slammed behind him, Seungcheol’s face contorted to confusion and then worry. What had he done wrong? His eyes flashed with emotions and questions left unanswered. He wanted to assure Jihoon he didn’t have to wear it for his sake. But Jihoon had fled the room before Seungcheol could actually vocalize any of it.

Seungcheol moved over to the door cautiously, listening to the quiet sobbing on the other side and he sighed “Jihoonie….I’m sorry…you don’t have to wear it…you can throw it away!” He sounded so lifeless that Jihoon winced and resumed hiccupping his tears for a minute longer before yanking the door open.

"Why are you apologizing? I fucking love it....it’s the most….most beautiful gift I’ve ever been given." He whimpered.

A wave of relief overcame Seungcheol’s features, or at least, partial relief. “Then....why are you crying?” Seungcheol asked.

Jihoon sighed, letting his head roll back so he'd look up at the ceiling. “They’re called tears of joy -you idiot!” Jihoon said blandly. “What gives you the right to make me cry Cheol!”

“I really wasn’t trying to….I swear….I just got the idea one day and…I thought you’d like it. Seungcheol admitted, his eyebrows furrowed in concern. And then he smiled, so bright and real that it _burned_ Jihoon - through and through - until his eyes watered again. “Are you sure you don’t hate it…and those are sad tears?”

“I am sad Cheol! I’m sad..Because...you’ve been trying to give me this present all day, and I kept saying no…I thought...you just wanted to give me your cock....and .....it’s not fair...your gift is so beautiful and thoughtful and I’m so vulgar I didn’t think to get you anything precious….I just got you a kinky gift!” he wailed, throat contracting with a swallow.

A dozen quips, teases and jokes tripped their way to the tip of Seungcheol’s tongue but only two words were verbalized “Kinky gift?”

Jihoon ran his hand over his face, rubbing his forehead. He looked up at Seungcheol and smiled shyly "I...uhm yeah….got you a present too…..it’s ..different" Jihoon didn't know how to explain this to him. Seungcheol allowed one eyebrow to raise, though he didn't say anything else. “I…I…need some time to….get ready…” Jihoon said, moving over to his luggage and pulling out a sealed parcel, before retreating to the bathroom and closing the door behind him.

………………………

Seungcheol sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for Jihoon to re-emerge for what felt like an eternity, but in reality was more like 20 minutes. He was about to call out to the younger boy when suddenly the lights flickered and then blacked out.

 _“Shit!”_ He cursed, scrambling to illuminate the room with the glow from his phone. He stepped up to the dresser, grabbing the packet of matches on the table and began to light the various candles placed around the room. He remember Jihoon still in the bathroom and called out to comfort him in the impending darkness.

“Jihoon, you okay in there?...Can you see?” he called out, pulling out another match.

“It’s ok Cheol” Jihoon’s voice said from inside the room, he had obviously exited the bathroom “I’m finished getting ready Hyung” Jihoon spoke quietly.

Seungcheol, lit a match, glanced over his shoulder quickly at Jihoon to acknowledge his presence, turned back to light the candle and _froze_ as his mind registered what he had just seen- then he slowly turned around again to face the younger boy.

What he saw he didn't expect; he expected to see Jihoon looking off, waiting, wearing his PJ’s looking cute and cosily wrapped up - but instead he saw a nice view of the boy’s bare chest and.... _fuck._ Seungcheol’s eyes took it in as a whole before looking down at the feet, slowly following the curves of the ankles, then the legs, up the milky thighs, around his slender hips, all the way to his..collar? leash? and.... _cats ears?_ Then searing heat burnt his fingertips as he realised he was still holding a lit match and he doused it with a quick blow, flicking it the match to the ground.

Seungcheol blinked hard, trying to tell himself to start breathing again, but blood was pooling down south so fast he couldn’t think straight. All he could think was…

_Panties panties panties panties panties panties_

The pants were a beautifully pale shade of blue, the material delicate yet taut, fitting sensuously over Jihoon’s ass and hips, encasing his soft cock. The fur trim along the waist was a thin strip of white but blended beautifully into the creamy skin along Jihoon’s hips. The younger boy was fidgeting nervously with his bracelet, gaze focused on the ground and Seungcheol eyes locked on the leash, draped over his shoulder. His eyes followed it up from the tip to the white leather collar around his neck, then followed the indent of the collar and the flush of Jihoon’s cheeks to the neck and then the hair. His gaze refocused on what was indeed a pair of white fluffy kitten ears, poking out of Jihoon blonde tuffs of hair.

Although there was no doubt in Seungcheol’s mind it was intended to be a kinky choice of attire, but there was something…oddly ethereal about Jihoon as he stared in awe at the younger boy, the outlines of faded tears glistening on his cheeks by the moonlights pale glow.

Jihoon was blushing furiously, agitated at the lack of verbal communication and he sighed silently and spoke "Say something Cheol.... _please_....you’re just _looking_ at me...I don’t know what you’re thinking."

“Jihoonie…uh…. _kitten.._ ” he breathed with something a little too close to reverence and the boy in question flushed beautifully under his gaze. Seungcheol tensed, eyes flickering shut for just a moment, as he quickly assessed whether his infatuation with the nick name had become worrying enough for him to have full on visual hallucinations.

Seungcheol stood transfixed as Jihoon straightened, moving away from the door and shivering slightly before he stepped closer. Seungcheol took quick stock of his flushed cheeks, heavy eyes and the lazy, _sexy as fuck,_ way he swayed his hips. Seungcheol blinked, swallowing and his breath stuttered and caught in his chest as he watched Jihoon advance on him, wetting his lips coyly.

“Yeah I’m _meant_ to be a kitten, I’m _meant_ to have whiskers too but when I tried them on I looked like a cast member of the theatre production of Cats! And I think…..I _think_ I’m gay enough with the ..uhmm… _underwear_. Do I look kitten enough for you?” he queried faintly and Seungcheol nodded dumbly, dizzying himself as blood poured downwards.

“Oh..good…You can’t begin to understand how embarrassing it was buying these....but….I did it for you” he admitted, looking up through soft lashes at the older boy, slipping slim arms around his neck “Do you…uhmm…like it?” Jihoon murmured, nuzzling at Seungcheol’s jaw and sucking gently at the hinge in such a way that almost reduced Seungcheol’s vocabulary to single syllables.

“ **Fuck** **Yes** …god yes….I love it…” Seungcheol croaked once his brain caught up eventually with events. Jihoon pulled back, just far enough to mouth and bite his way down from Seungcheol’s throat to his collarbone “You’re so quiet Cheollie…..you’re not usually quiet when we play”

“Ah shit…sorry baby…I’m just…the things I wanna do to you…I’m just trying to control myself Jihoonie. But…. _fuck_..you look…. _so hot_ ” Seungcheol said hoarsely, his eyes glittering with something akin to mischief. The older boys fingers began to twitch faster as adrenaline started to run, "Can I...... _can I touch you?"_ Seungcheol asked hesitantly, looking down at the smaller boy. Jihoon blushed, nodding.

He shifted, ready to reach for Jihoon when the younger boy suddenly turned, and wiggled his hips purposefully, a white fluffy tail bobbing behind him, popping into view.

"Well... _shit_ …..you get an **A- fucking- plus** for attention to detail." Seungcheol praised, reaching one hand up to stroke the tail, then lower to grab the pert rear through the lace material. Jihoon emitted a small yelp, almost meow like, but remained in place. Seungcheol froze midway through clenching his fingers hard into the firmness of Jihoon’s ass, lifting the hem of lace up lightly to tickle the skin underneath. “These look _fucking incredible_ on you Jihoonie…I think we’re going to buy you one in **every colour** …they’re so pretty…but you…you’re what makes them exceptional. Fuck.…you’re so gorgeous” Seungcheol said almost breathless with excitement.

Jihoon trembled visibly, it seemed, because suddenly a warm palm whispered over the rigid line of his shoulders and Seungcheol’s hot breath brushed at his nape. His hand dropped to rest lightly at Jihoon’s hip as Seungcheol continued huskily “My imagination is running wild..….. _fuck_ ….  probably _illegal_ …..are you trying to kill me kitten?”

Jihoon shuddered at the implications and Seungcheol’s arm slid around him, dragging his forearm across the quivering tautness of Jihoon’s belly until his palm cupped him through the lace and his back rested against Seungcheol’s chest. His lips were warm and fevered as he dipped down against Jihoon’s nape to speak. “You know _just_ what I want without me ever having to say, don’t you?....You went to all this effort for me, you’re so sweet baby..….my _kinky kitten_ …..you have no idea what you’re doing to me, do you?”

Seungcheol dropped his forehead to rest at Jihoon’s nape and sighed shakily. His hands crossed over to clasp at the leash, gripping hard and tugging gently. Jihoon’s mouth was wet and he bit it to stop the trembling as Seungcheol whispered hot against his skin. “Gonna fuck you wearing these…then I’m going to do it again and again and again till you know deep inside.. who owns you.

Jihoon turned in Seungcheol’s arms without dislodging his hold, he speared his fingers through the older boy’s hair “I’m yours Cheol...” he said softly and jerked him down for a kiss.

Seungcheol closed his eyes, wallowing in the perfection of the moment. Just being here without a care, just the two of them. He pulled away, resting his forehead against Jihoon’s as their breathing evened out, fast paced to loose shallow breaths, sweat cooling rapidly on their skin in the chilly air. "You made a lot of promises there Hyung….I hope you plan on keeping them” Jihoon said, his gaze moving down to Seungcheol’s tented erection.

Seungcheol wished for a fleeting instant to just grab Jihoon by the collar. He wanted so badly to pull that small compact body against his own, pull him onto his lap and hold him close. He just desired to press his cock into that welcoming heat unprepared, fuck him dry and forget all the consequences. He wanted Jihoon to be marked on each inch of skin, telling signs of what he had done to him colouring his body. He wanted Jihoon biting on the blankets to muffle his screams as he rammed into him raw, to beg for more when Seungcheol pulled out. He wanted....

Seungcheol shook his head sorrowfully, tutting gently at his own string of thoughts “I don’t think I can trust myself around you Jihoonie……the ideas I’m getting…I…uhh might get out of control”

Jihoon lifted a hand, offering his leash, signaling back what he hoped would be seen as submission before looking up at Seungcheol whose smile, it seemed to Jihoon’s wishful gaze, no longer fully met his eyes, but was focused intently on his collar. A shiver prickling over his skin as Seungcheol paused his hand over the leash.

“Tell me you’re OK with this….I…I need to hear it” Seungcheol ordered, eyes belying his tone as they each regarded the leather leash in his grasp. Jihoon watched him with wide, almost unblinking, eyes and tamped down every last scrap of feeling that might betray his trepidation. Jihoon smiled slightly, aware that Seungcheol was abruptly closing in on his primal side with each passing second.

“It’s ok Seungcheol…I trust you…you don’t have to be gentle with me Hyung….I can handle it _daddy_ ” he whispered, then he swallowed a strangled moan when Seungcheol snarled, gripped his face and kissed him roughly.  Jihoon became pliant within his hold, as Seungcheol’s tongue plundered his mouth with abandon, his fingertips raking over his chest and shoulders, down to his supple ass.

Jihoon would have enjoyed continuing the heated kiss longer but his body took that moment to begin shivering and Seungcheol eyes widened as he felt it. He broke the kiss to cup Jihoon’s face tenderly “Aww….kitten, you’re cold….come here baby…let me warm you up” he cooed, soothing a warm hand down the arc of Jihoon spine as he guided him to the bed.

Jihoon couldn’t help but blush, body heating under Seungcheol’s covetous stare as the older boy smoothed a warm hand down over Jihoon’s still trembling form, skirting over his hip bone and stroked down over his thigh, all the while muttering words like _beautiful_ and _so pretty._ Jihoon sighed, shifting to climb directly into Seungcheol’s lap on the bed, straddling him. His head dipped and his voice lowered as if to whisper a secret, so much so that Seungcheol couldn’t help but lean close to hear whatever secrets he was about to impart.

 “I’m already so wet for you Cheol….I’m been so bad today, I’ve made a mess of myself….I’m so wet right now, do you wanna see?” he purred with just enough deliberate bashfulness to have Seungcheol’s cock pre-emptively leaking in anticipation.

“You smug fuck, you know I do” he breathed, amused, and dipped his head to kiss and leisurely explore Jihoon’s mouth leaving him heady and whining with arousal. Seungcheol pressed kisses along his jaw and neck, moving lower to lave and nip at Jihoon’s collarbone before sinking lower still, stopping to worshipfully tweak and tongue his nipples to hardness. He bit down gently on one pink bud, before flicking his tongue over it in resolute apology “Want you so _fucking_ much kitten” Jihoon’s breath hitched for a moment with a moan, and so entranced, the slight disruption went unnoticed by Seungcheol as he continued to trace a path down the boy’s frame.

Jihoon’s rumbling magnified into a purr as his Seungcheol’s fingertips raked up and down his thighs, skating mercilessly close, but not close enough to where Jihoon most longed for them. Seungcheol glides his hands across the silk lace, slipping around Jihoon’s waist and tracing the fur lining along the seam 'It's so _soft_!'

Seungcheol’s mouth twisted into the familiar grin that left Jihoon wanting to kiss it from his face at least a million times. He dropped his gaze to where the pale blue lace of Jihoon’s panties distended around his cock. He hummed appreciatively as his mouth watered at the sight and dipped his head  and pulled Jihoon up, to mouth the smaller boy’s cock through the sticky fabric.

“God..your so _hot_..soaking wet for me already _”_ he muttered against Jihoon’s cock through damp fabric. Jihoon arched his neck back before letting out an embarrassing whine-like noise at the flutter of Seungcheol’s tongue along the curve of his cock. Abruptly, it felt like there was nothing between them as the elders tongue and mouth descended on his clothed erection, greedy and possessive as he suckled Jihoon through the silk and lace fabric incasing him.

Jihoon cried out, broken and already hitching his hips up and forward as Seungcheol lapped at the pooling, sticky pre-ejaculate leaking through. Jihoon pushed and gripped at the edge of the pants, eager – _desperate_ – to rid himself of them, to have Seungcheol touch his skin directly. But Seungcheol stopped him, pulling his hands away and then pulling Jihoon hard against him. “Nuh.uh…you’re keeping these on kitten..gonna fuck you wearing them so behave yourself!”

“Or what?” Jihoon suggested.

Seungcheol snorted, amused right up until Jihoon tilted his face to slant his lips over his, soft, warm and easy, before biting his lower lip harshly and settling back, one eyebrow raised expectantly, even as something serious lurked behind his teasing, irreverent grin.

Jihoon’s breath left him in a startled yelp as Seungcheol palm stung across his bare cheek. “Are you gonna behave kitten…or shall I continue?” Seungcheol asked thickly and Jihoon shook his head, already steeling himself to not beg, no matter how much he currently felt like being spanked raw.

His misbehavior spurned Seungcheol on and he delivered a swift slap to the other cheek, marvelling in the pink flush it drew from his skin. “Ahh”

“So bad kitten….and I was going to reward you for being a good little kitty….looks like now I have to….” He trailed off as his hand rebounded off Jihoon’s cheek again.

“Hmm..again … ** _again_**!” he pleaded even as his body bucked forward and away from the stinging slap, arching helplessly into the bracing shelter of Seungcheol’s lap. He bit his lip as their cocks bumped together and Seungcheol groaned as he delivered another hit on his throbbing hide. “Ahh…Cheol… _hmm_ ” Jihoon moaned into his shoulder as the air grew thick and hot between them with each stinging round the older boy delivered.

“Please..ch...I need you..now” he heard himself say in a tiny, hitching voice, and Seungcheol’s hand paused in mid-air, ready to deliver another smack, but lowered to the small of Jihoon’s back, kneading gently in contrast to his earlier treatment. Seungcheol tilted his head to the side, pulling Jihoon closer, _tighter_ against him “Do you want me inside you kitten? Do you miss my cock stretching you?…are you going to behave now?” he whispered, voice husky and Jihoon nodded his approval.

“That’s not good enough Jihoonie….I want to _hear_ you….tell daddy you’re sorry then you can tell me what you want” Seungcheol said, as he slapped the sensitive area of his upper thighs to punctuate his request.

“Hmm….hm _..sorry daddy_ ….yes Cheol…I’ll behave.. _please_..no more ..teasing.. _please._.I want you inside me…I _need_ you inside me!” Jihoon whimpered as Seungcheol’s hand slipped down and under the silk to massage the abused flesh of his butt.

_So much for not begging._

“Hmm..okay kitten…But I’m not going to go easy on you…I’m gonna fuck you wild”  He promised, as he slipped two digits into his mouth coating them with saliva, pulling the lace to the side of one cheek with a hand, and easing his fingers into Jihoon, one and then the other. Jihoon whined and pushed back against the intrusion. When the stiffness in Jihoon posture gave way, he slipped a third digit in, dragging along the smooth inner muscles until they parted for him slightly, wet and puffy.

“ _Mmmore.._ Cheol…mmm” he whimpered, unashamed of his need as Seungcheol shuddered at the sound of his voice alone, “Please, _please_... I’m ready”

“No, you’re not! Be patient kitten….daddy doesn’t want to hurt you too much when he fucks you” Seungcheol kept Jihoon pinned in his lap with one wide hand on his lower back, while he twisted his fingers into his puckered hole hard enough that he knew Jihoon would be wide open for him when he finished.

“You ready for me kitten?” Seungcheol queried with one final twist of his fingers, stretching Jihoon’s hole as wide as permissible. Jihoon swallowed back both a groan of approval and of loss the as Seungcheol withdrew his slick fingers.

He grunted as Seungcheol stood up and spun them around, shoving Jihoon hard towards the bed. He grasped Jihoon’s by the hips, pushing him down on his hands and knees and met no resistance. “Sorry, kitten…was I too rough?” he mumbled apologetically against the red skin of Jihoon’s ass, as he pushed the smaller boy down further and pressed soothing, soft kisses to the pained skin under the lace.

Seungcheol’s hand splayed wide at the small of his spine; one hand roved from between his shoulder blades up into his hair to move and mold Jihoon into a face down-ass up position, best suited for the animalistic fuck he had planned for his kitten. Jihoon whimpered into the comforter, but bucked up against him breathless and begging. Seungcheol slicked pre-come over the head of his cock, adding saliva when that wasn’t enough and yanked the hem of the underwear down _just_ low enough to get access to Jihoon’s entrance. Jihoon shuddered in anticipation until Seungcheol circled his hole with the tip of his cock, gripped the base and pushed inside surely.

“Nuhh ghhh” Jihoon whimpered as he was swiftly penetrated.

“Uhhh… ** _fuck_** …kitten baby…you’re so _tight_ again…it doesn’t matter how many times I do this to you…you’re nice and tight for me every time!” he praised, pushing forward against the clenching friction till he filled Jihoon to the hilt.

Unconsciously Seungcheol tightened his fingers around the leash, tugging the smaller boy’s head back and Jihoon growled with excitement “uhh…Yes!”

“You like that kitten?...So good kitten….you like it when I’m rough with you.. .you’re so good _always_ for me” he panted between rolls of his hips, driving his cock deep with each thrust that left Jihoon both wild and keening. “Cheol! ...AHH... _pleeasee_...daddy...please... _mmmore!_ ” Jihoon whimpered, burrowing his head into the comforter, fisting the bedding and Seungcheol picked up the pace rapidly, pounding relentless into his hole.

“Shit….shit….ah…f- _uck_!” He snapped his hips forward, holding them against Jihoon’s rear for a moment, groaning at the delicious friction around his cock, as Jihoon inner walls tightened impossibly around him.

“ _So good_...you’re such a good kitten for daddy... _god_ I never wanna stop...can’t stop doing this to you, you’re so _perfect baby!_ ” he groaned into the back of Jihoon’s neck as he delivered another round of rough, bruising thrusts.

“Ahhh...Cheol _...hnndaddy_..ahhh..ahh...ahh...hmm.. .. _please_ , more!” Jihoon whimpered, eyes screwed shut, ass in the air, _begging_ Seungcheol as his cock hammered into him, harder and _harder_. “Yes…CHEOL….ahh…more….I….I god…AHH”

And Seungcheol delivered, shifting his angle and spearing in to his prostrate with tight rolls of his hips as the younger boy arched back and whined at the overwhelming pleasure. He praised Jihoon, kissed down his spine, endearments spilling from between his lips like loose change. “Ah…kitten…Jihoonie…you’re so perfect….you make me _so happy_ Jihoonie… _so happy_ ” He groaned.

The lump in Jihoon’s throat grew as Seungcheol reached one hand over his, threading their fingers lightly. It was an odd gesture in a moment of fevered coupling, but fitted their link with one another somehow. Seungcheol was wild, unpredictable and fascinating, though possessive if provoked. On the other he was more comforting and familiar to Jihoon then bare instincts and old habits. He continued to surprise Jihoon at each turn, he was irrepressibly sweet and kind and Jihoon had him all to himself.

Something like a howl bubbled at the base of Jihoon’s throat, but he swallowed it back, watching his hands shake where they gripped on the bedspread and he wondered, absently, just when his feelings for the other boy had so completely spun beyond his control.

Jihoon gasped suddenly as his leash was pulled, yanking him back, Seungcheols hand tilted his head to the side, to slip into a crushing kiss, teeth and tongue thrown in the mix. He whined into the older boy’s mouth as he licked into him roughly, a hand snaking around his waist to grasp Jihoon’s cock through the underwear.

Breaking the kiss to whisper gutturally “Meow for me Jihoonie…. _please_ kitten…meow for it” But Jihoon’s meow was lost in the play of tongues between them, suddenly finding himself clinging at the other’s forearm, clamped tightly around his waist supporting him up as he continued thrusting.

Seungcheol however, could not miss the quiet meow which spilled across Jihoon lips a moment later as his hand easily slid under the thin lace caging his cock once more, and he stroked him rewardingly. Jihoon rolled his head back, moaning openly as his cock slipped in the firm warm grip a few more times before he gasped and _groaned_ , desperate and shaking as his hips stuttered and his body seized in pleasure, spilling into Seungcheol’s palm and soaking the lace before sagging against the body behind him satisfied.

Seungcheol’s hips stuttered and rammed into him with less and less precision as Jihoon’s muscles clenched tightly around his cock. Jihoon whined at the overstimulation, sobbing on every breath “Ahh….cheol… _please_ …hmm.. _ssfulll_ …..” He arched as the slick, continuous slide of Seungcheol’s hardness moving in and out of him setting nerve endings alight, turning him incoherent and whiny.

‘He’s like that kitten that’s got the cream….I could give him my cream’ Seungcheol thought perversely with a wry twist to his mouth, an idea popping in his head. He pulled back, cock slipping free of Jihoon’s over stimulated hole and tugged on the leash to pull him up.

Jihoon visibly lost focus for a moment and he swayed slightly as he was pulled up of the bed, hand instinctively gripping Seungcheol for support.

“I want you to swallow kitten….all I’m going to give you….you’re going to swallow.. _all of it_ ” Seungcheol croaked and bit the inside of his cheek to hold in a groan as his fist slipped over his cock quickly, pulling himself closer to the edge. Jihoon dropped to his knees, more than familiar with giving head now but licking the glistening cock head tentatively as he anticipated Seungcheol’s load. Seungcheol cocked an eyebrow, affecting a satisfied smug look “Good little kitten…look at you waiting for it….you want my cream in your mouth?”

“ _Yes…hmm..please_..” Jihoon uttered thickly and gazed unabashedly at the rigid, engorged flesh in Seungcheol’s hand. Seungcheol bit his lip and shifted forward, raking his fingers in Jihoon’s hair and jerked his head up as he slipped his cock into the waiting mouth. He pumped himself, once, twice and then once more before hissed, saw white, stomach muscles went taut and he spilled hot and heavy ejaculate into Jihoon’s open mouth.

Jihoon jerked back instinctively as his mouth filled with Seungcheol warm release, but the grip in his hair reminded him to relax and slacken his jaw and accept it. Seungcheol grunted incoherently under his breath, his fist milking the last few pulses of come out of his member as his gaze narrowed on the smaller boy steadying the tip of his cock with his lower lip and accepting his come so willingly.

He untangled his fingers from Jihoon’s locks, to tip his head up and was rewarded with the obscene sight of Jihoon swirling his tongue around his seed before he tilted his head back and swallowed the load swiftly.

Sighing softly at his own fulfilment, his heart trembled against his ribs as he dipped down, and helped the smaller boy to stand. Jihoon stood on shaky legs that buckled the moment he straightened. But Seungcheol caught him, chuckling fondly he swooped down to lift him up, bringing Jihoon over to the top of the bed and lying him down on it. He leant over to pick up a fallen blanket and draped it over the younger, then stood for just a moment more to simply _look_ at him before he slipped in beside, curling his body protectively around Jihoon.

“Damn…Jihoonie ..Fuck… that was _amazing.._ you were ….unbelievable _…_ that was easily the BEST.PRESENT.EVER… _._.I think I must be dreaming, I wish I could have filmed this” he grinned over at his boyfriend.

“Who says you couldn’t have?” Jihoon replied so blandly it made his eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

“Woah…ok….I think you might be kinkier than me kitten”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is brought to you by:  
> 1) Hating everyone after one game of Uno....  
> 2) Just board games in general...fuck off..so much deception.the only one I agree to play is Jenga and that's cause my hands are steady as fuck  
> 3) Jihoon making Seungcheol wait.....he totally would do that. NOT NOW!  
> 4) Trying to factor in more details about the kitten outfit but really struggling...theres only so many ways I could describe the collar and when I read over it I was like....I used the same three words like a bijillion times. So I simplified it...I think...and just focused on smut. I hope it satisfied everyone. You can use your imagination for the rest!   
> 5) Seungcheol....just so loveable yet...perverted...in this story at least. XD


	18. Butt-Hurt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Breakfast in bed, butt-hurt and massages.

 

Seungcheol tiptoes out of the room, pulling the door behind him silently as to not make any noise and rouse the still sleeping boy, spread out under the covers of their shared bed.

As if to douse his efforts at silence, his stomach grumbles loudly and then angry shouting travels up the stairs "You-BACKSTABBER!" Seungcheol sighs. He can't be certain who this is, but he does have his suspicions.

These are proven correct when he hops down the stairs into the main area to find five of his friends sitting around the table, in various forms of undress, but Hoshi is sitting in his chair, completely naked and sulking angrily. "Uhh…..why are you naked Hosh?…..don’t you think we suffer enough just having to see your face every day" Seungcheol says.

Hoshi rewards Seungcheol for his comment by flinging an empty beer can in his direction "Fuck off" he spits and ignores everyone's laughter as he drapes a dish cloth over his manhood.

“Ok…that was _my_ dish cloth, I needed that….and now I will have to remember **never** to use it again!” Mingyu huffs from his perch on the kitchen counter.

“Seungkwan, would you kindly, collect two cards” Jun said, placing his card on the pile with a firm smile on his face.

“Hmph… _Certainly_ ” Seungkwan replied, voice straining

“My turn….I will change the colour to…. green” DK said, dropping his change colour card in place.

“Oh…..how kind of you DK, you knew my final card was red…..didn’t you.” Wonwoo seethed, collecting another card of the pile, still in the game.

Vernon looked at his deck, then placed his chosen card down.

“Dammit! Arghhh” DK fumed, collecting four cards from the deck, then spreading them out in his palm and peering over the top of them, a mischievous smile curving on his lips.

Hoshi doesn't bother to look at his cards, and just shakes his head minutely “DK, if you play another collect two card …..I will fucking kill you” Hoshi said through gritted teeth.

“What are you guys doing?” Seungcheol asked, watching the strange game unfold.

“They’re playing UNO Hyung” Mingyu gestured to the small group seated at the wooden table. “Correction…. ** _Strip UNO_** …..I’m not exactly sure what the rules are cause I’ve been busy making breakfast but all I know is……..Hoshi is losing big time” Mingyu laughed

“If Hoshi is getting naked….I think we are all losers here” Seungkwan piped up, ignoring the glare he received.

“Hmmm I think I will play…..reverse direction card” DK announced, placing his card on the pile.

Hoshi regarded him for a moment than flung his cards on the table yelling “YOU SON OF A-!”

Seungcheol clamped a hand around his mouth, silencing his screaming “What did I tell you about using your outside voice early in the morning Hosh?” he warned. Hoshi stiffened and then nodded his head for Seungcheol to release him.

“That’s rich…..coming from you Cheol-Hyung” Jun said flatly.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Seungcheol narrowed his eyes, turning back round to the table. “I haven’t been shouting….I haven’t woken anybody up today by yelling.

“Oh, we know you didn’t…. _but Jihoon did_ ….” Jun said with a sly grin.

“Uh…..say that again, I don’t know wh-” Seungcheol said, eyebrows pinched in confusion.

Jun’s grin grew wider still “He woke us up last night with his shouting….don’t tell me you couldn’t hear him. It was you he was calling out for Cheol-Hyung…or should I say……. ** _daddy_** ” he teased, as the rest of the boys at the table snickered into their cards.

Seungcheol’s face faltered briefly, his eye brows shot up, then his features resumed their natural state “Jun….Please….Don’t **ever** call me that again… _.gross_ ”

“So Jihoon can scream it…..but we can’t?” Hoshi complained with melodramatic grief, adjusting his towel to cross his legs, much to everyone’s chagrin.

“Yeah…that’s not fair Hyung!” Vernon joined in “Are we too not your Dongsangs? Shouldn’t we get to call you ‘daddy’ as well” He mocked, nudging Seungkwan with his elbow, encouraging him to join in on the teasing.

“I’m staying out of this” Seungkwan said, shaking his head and slapping Vernon’s elbow away.

“Alright….that’s enough fellas. Leave daddy- ***cough*** Cheol-Hyung alone ” Mingyu said, grinning impishly “He doesn’t need our teasing first thing in the morning……he’s had a rough night” he added.

“Rough night! That’s an understatement…..are we going to need a chairlift for Jihoon? Are you heading out this morning to buy him a wheelchair” DK laughed, and the group interrupted into a chorus of ‘oh’s’ and hoots.

Seungcheol stood still, face scrunched in amusement at their antics “Yeah, yeah….ok…get it all out of your system now. I don’t care what you say to me…I can handle it. **But** don’t even **_think_** of opening your traps in front of Jihoon about this…..I swear….I won’t hesitate to snap your necks and burying you in the snow outside if you tease him about this” Seungcheol threatened a little too casually, pointing to the those seated at the table.

“Yeah yeah…we know…We can’t tease Jihoon” DK waved him off.

“Aww….isn’t that sweet….Daddy is protecting his little kitten” Hoshi mock cooed, before Seungcheol’s hand on the back of his head, forced him face first into the pile of cards on the table, scattering the deck. A few more teasing jibes were shared before the group returned to their game.

Seungcheol pulled out a stool at the breakfast bar next to Mingyu and sat down, serving himself up a plate. After a few minutes Seungcheol turned to Mingyu and asked “Were we really that loud?”

Mingyu chuckled and shook his head “I actually couldn’t hear a thing from my room….but your room is directly above Hoshi and DK’s, so….when you guys started … _doing it_ ….they called us all in to their room to listen in” Mingyu admitted.

“And you went along with it?” Seungcheol said in disbelief.

“They told me their room was _haunted_ and there were signs of _paranormal activity_. You know how I love that ghost shit, it sounded mysterious and so I rushed over….then when I got there I realised it was just the sounds of you guys screwing upstairs and I was so shocked! I told them off for eaves dropping on you and tricking me….and then I left………. _twenty minutes later_ ” Mingyu says in his best aloof voice.

Seungcheol stares at him for a moment, then bursts into laughter. "You, call me a perv…" he manages between wheezes and mouthfuls of bacon "Are just as bad as me"

“I’m kidding….but it was hard **not** to hear though, the walls aren’t exactly insulated Hyung” Mingyu explained, sipping his coffee. “Is Jihoon coming down or is he still asleep? I don’t want him to miss breakfast”

Seungcheol’s mouth twisted in a smile “He’s still sleeping…..he’s pretty wrecked……I have this idea though for breakfast….but I need your help” Seungcheol said seriously, turning to face Mingyu.

“Yeah?”

“Actually…..I’m going to need you to do everything and I’m going to take the credit”

…………………………………

 

One minute he’s cocooned in warmth; in a tight embrace he doesn’t ever want to break out of. The next minute he blinks awake and finds himself alone in the bed with nothing but the cold side of his pillow. The sun is shining through the window. Jihoon kind of wants to blow it out of the sky. He grumbles as he wakes, rolling over in the bed, feeling blindly for another blanket to surround himself with, to imitate the comfort and warmth of Seungcheol’s body.

Seungcheol has departed for parts unknown, probably rummaging for food as his hunter/gather instincts usually kick in, first thing in the morning. Evidence of their activities last night are strewn around the room. Jihoon’s cat ears are sitting on the nightstand, his collar is unbuckled, lying open on the floor, his leash is hanging over the back of a chair. He squirms under the covers and realizes he is still wearing his soiled panties. Jihoon doesn't bother rationalizing to himself why he chose to keep them on, but Seungcheol was more than elated as he fingered the hem and whispered his gratitude, repeatedly, as they drifted off to sleep. Jihoon sighed through a satisfied yawn, he would need to buy more now- as this pair had quickly become uninhabitable.

Jihoon yawned again and stretched, then winced and dropped his arms to his sides. There was a very _definitive_ ache in his lower back, there always was after they fucked, once the adrenaline rush had evaporated. It was normal and Seungcheol was _big_. But this time it was undeniably more apparent, he’s feeling pretty sore in places he can’t describe without blushing. Even just lying down on the bed, as he was doing now, with minimal movement made his back side throb in moderate discomfort.

He doesn’t have much time to ponder on it once he hears a soft knock on the door, followed by Seungkwan’s head popping around the corner “Wakey wakey Jihoonie!” He sang

“Hey…..boo….what’s up” Jihoon sighed, carefully shifting to sit upright against the headboard, then re-adjusting his positon quickly as the ache in his backside became unbearable.

“Hmm..not much, everyone is awake downstairs, killing each other over UNO--or strip Uno, making breakfast, reading, trying to remember the joys of the internet” Seungkwan recited, dropping down to sit on the edge of the bed. “The weather is still pretty bad, they’re expecting another storm to hit and the snow is too deep to venture far outside. But enough about that….how are you?” he says, suddenly shifting the topic and patting Jihoon’s arm contemptuously.

“Hmm… _fine_ ” Jihoon said, narrowing his eyes. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, ……you guys were….. **pretty loud** last night and I just wanted to make sure you could still walk. Should I fetch a doctor…..or by the sounds of last night…. **a fucking vet?”** Seungkwan whispered loudly, an entertained lilt to his voice.

Jihoon groaned with embarrassment and smacked his head against the headboard “Oh god, were we?” his cheeks flushed hotly “I guess….we can get carried away sometimes, forget where we are. It feels like me and Seungcheol are in our own little bubble…ya know”

“Yeah, I understand” Seungkwan empathizes, nodding his head “But last night… that bubble was like a fucking microphone Jihoonie!” Seungkwan teased.

“Oh my god…” Jihoon squeaked, rolling over and planting his face into the plush pillow. The ache in his nether region deepened and he screwed his eyes shut.

Seungkwan laughed out loud then stroked his arm gently “Hey what’s this?” he asked, turning the charm bracelet over Jihoon’s wrist.

Jihoon lifted his hand towards his face, peering up at the bracelet, he can't help a smile creeping up again, complementing the clenching in his chest “Cheol…bought it for me….for Christmas. The charms, represent all the….nicknames he has for me” Jihoon clarified, blush rising.

Seungkwan tilted his head, watching Jihoon thoughtfully. He smiles at him then, and there's something suspiciously warm about it instead of mocking. “That’s a sweet gift. Don’t know why I  ever doubted Seungcheol, why I was so hard on the guy…. now when I think about it…he’s really proved me wrong.”

“He proved me wrong too……I mean….he’s constantly surprising me with how…thoughtful he is. Just when I think, OK-- **this is it** , he can’t get **any sweeter** …… ** _he does_**. It’s really fucking annoying because I feel like the shitty boyfriend” Jihoon protested.

Seungkwan laughed “Trust you to get annoyed about somebody being _too sweet_ to you. Classic Jihoon!” Seungkwan shakes his head at him and smiles, Jihoon smiles back because he likes how right Seungkwan is about him "You are…so smitten…. _smitten… kitten_ "

"Uhh…I didn't know how paper thin these walls were…." Jihoon says defensively.  I suppose I should prepare myself to get the teasing of a life time when I go down.

"Nah…I wouldn’t worry about it….Cheol-Hyung has physically threatened everyone not to tease you. Besides, they’re having way too much fun teasing Hoshi instead " Seungkwan says instead.

“Good morning kitten” Seungcheol serenaded, startling them out of their conversation as he barged through the door, swinging it open to knock against the wall. “Thanks Seungkwan….you can go” he gestured to the boy seated on the edge of the bed.

“I’ll go call the lion tamer shall I?” Seungkwan whispered to Jihoon as he stood from the bed and left, sparing him an amused glance back. Jihoon eyes him mistrustfully as he leaves and turns his attention to Seungcheol, who is busy fluffling a pillow and placing it neatly behind Jihoon’s back.

 

“Hmh..thanks. Good morning Hyung” Jihoon smiled, reaching out and to twine his fingers with Seungcheol’s “Slept good…..really good….wish you were here when I woke up though…..you always wake up too early. I wanna…..you know”

“Cuddle?” Seungcheol finished for him, grinning “You hungry?”

Jihoon blushed “Yeah…I’m famished actually….but get in I wanna-” Jihoon said, wiggling to move over and make room under the covers for Seungcheol, but a firm hand on his chest pushes him back against the headboard”

Seungcheol’s eyes light up. "Awesome" He ducks down and presses a kiss to Jihoon’s cheek so fast Jihoon hasn't even seen him coming and can’t return it, Seungcheol leaves the room practically skipping. Jihoon is about to be bitter at the loss of his assured _cuddling_ , but when he next looks up Seungcheol is standing in the doorway, carrying a large tray that wasn't there before.

"Stay, don’t move. I didn’t send Seungkwan up here to distract you for no reason– "Seungcheol says, carrying the tray over carefully “I knew you would be hungry so..”- he makes an extravagant gesture with his free hand and places down a tray, laden with food on his lap. Pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausages, toast, fruit, coffee and syrup.

“Mingyu cooked…” Seungcheol confesses in a rush. "If I could cook….I would make you anything. But, I can’t cook, I think after that egg incident we both know I shouldn’t be allowed near the kitchen really…. "

“Cheol….you…you need to stop being so sweet!” Jihoon stared him with awe for a moment, taken aback by the gesture. Then he recalled the last time Seungcheol tried to cook something and giggled. “Yeah….Hyung….I don’t know how you expected to boil that egg….without adding any water” Jihoon shined, sitting back against the fluffed pillows and sighing happily.

………………………….

"So," Seungcheol says as Jihoon stabs into the last of his pancake, swirling it around in the syrup "I know the weather is still shit, but maybe tomorrow we should try and go out. I don’t want to stay cooped up in here for a week without at least trying to venture outside."

Jihoon chews, swallows his last mouthfull, leans back and rubs his belly, gratified. "Yeah…cabin fever and all that. Have they started killing each other downstairs yet?” he asked, allowing Seungcheol to lift the now empty tray off his lap and set it aside.

“No. but they finished playing Strip Uno almost half an hour ago and Hoshi is still walking around naked so who knows….. I might kill everyone first” Seungcheol clowned, reaching up to arrange Jihoon’s hair, which was adorably splayed out in every direction.

“Hyung….get in with me” Jihoon said, lifting the covers up to indicate what he wanted. Seungcheol beamed at him and stood up, moving closer to climb in. Jihoon turned over to afford him more room then froze as Seungcheol smacked his ass hard and a blinding pain shot through his back.

Jihoon clenches, trying not to wince but his body betrays him. Of course, Seungcheol – who usually can’t find his ass with both hands in broad daylight and is more often than not, terrible and reading body language -notices Jihoon flinch. He looks at the smaller boy through wide eyes, and then very meaningfully stands up again “What was that?….you flinched”

"Nothing…just a cramp in my neck…from sleeping for so long" Jihoon's voice is quiet, almost kind.

Seungcheol studies him, a long intent gaze that should make Jihoon feel unsettled. It doesn't. "I didn’t touch your neck just now Jihoonie, I slapped your……you’re sore from last night aren’t you” Seungcheol states, Jihoon doesn't look away, but neither does he say anything. He's feeling a curious sort of stubborn, the words catching just at the edge of his throat.

“Does it…hurt…...hurt more than our first time?” Jihoon doesn’t wish to confirm or deny he is in pain so decides not to respond instead, and Seungcheol’s brows furrow as he begins to draw his own conclusions “Jihoonie?” Seungcheol says, his expression has turned cautious all of the sudden.  

At which point he comes to a realization, and voices it out of plain shock. "Fuck…" he says. "I tore you…..I hurt you last night…..I was too rough" he says quietly, distancing himself from the bed.

Jihoon raises a nonbelieving eyebrow and scoots closer “Where are you going Cheol?”

“I hurt you…..I’m going to go….hand myself into the police or something….bury myself in an avalanche” Seungcheol says remorsefully.

Jihoon smiles, pathetically grateful for the light mockery in his voice, because he can see the tiny hint of sadness in the set of Seungcheol's eyes. If he has to look that in the face, Jihoon may well hand himself into the police too. “Oh my god Cheol!” Jihoon huffed in incredulous laughter and reached out to grab the older boy’s arm before he moved too far away “I’m fine….it just stings a little _….it’s nothing_ ”

Seungcheol shook his head despondently. “No it’s worse than that and you’re not telling me” His expression is horribly earnest for a moment, then suddenly shifts to stubborn “That’s it! It’s settled…..no penetration for a month. I’m gonna book you an appointment with the doctor the minute we get back”

“What!” Jihoon gasps. “Uhh......NO….and….NO….and NO again. Cheol you can’t just put a blanket ban on sex because I’m a little sore….I’m not made of glass ok. And what would I even say to the doctor. What would he even give me? He’d probably just tell me to rest it” Jihoon huffed.

Seungcheol seems to be facing some kind of emotional crisis and wrings his hands through his hair in frustration “Exactly…rest it. Rest your precious butt. No sex for a month. My dick is on ice till then Jihoonie….don’t even think about trying to pull a sexy-kitten-kinky-cheerleader-thing on me yeah. Dick is on ice. No cock for you!” he states bluntly.

Jihoon narrowed his eyes dangerously as Seungcheol spoke. It really all came down to this. It wasn’t like Jihoon was begging for another fuck right now, but hearing Seungcheol tell him, almost command him even, that he couldn’t get something he wasn’t asking for yet- _well_ -it just made him yearn for it with ferocity. He licked his lips and fluttered his lashes with mock bashfulness at the older boy.

Seungcheol steps back further, eyeing his sensual display cagily. “Hey….don’t look at me like that……I said no cock…..now roll over. BUT NOT FOR COCK!..... I was just going to give you a massage” he explained his innocent intent quickly.

Although perplexed and Seungcheol’s feeling of guilt and irritated at the unnecessary sanction placed on him, Jihoon isn't one to turn down the offer of a massage, especially considering how comforting Seungcheol’s hands could be on his body.

"Really? Ok. You know….I’m never going to have a problem with having your hand on me" Jihoon says, agreeably, crawling back unto the bed a dark gleam returning to his eyes. "I think you’ll find it will have the opposite effect of what you’re intending though….it’s not going to relax me Cheol…it’s just going to turn me on and  make me want your cock more"

“Nah….this is strictly professional…..I am in control!” Seungcheol cheered himself on.

Jihoon allows Seungcheol to peel him out of his pale blue panties, lets Seungcheol flip him on the bed, positioning him to lie flat on his stomach, lets Seungcheol plant groveling kisses on his hipbones and his shoulders.

…………………………..

As part of his physical therapy major, ‘injury assessment and management’ was a core module in his second year, one that Seungcheol excelled in due to his sports background. Usually when he’s assessing injuries, Seungcheol doesn't really see his subjects body as anything but a problem to solve, but because this is Jihoon, his boyfriend, and Jihoon is supple flesh, wiry muscle and soft skin, Seungcheol is willing to admit that keeping the massage professional is going to be especially difficult.  

Jihoon turns his head just a bit to look at Seungcheol, who is kneeling by his elbow. He's holding some scented oil in his hand, and he uncaps the bottle, squeezing the contents out and warming it between his palms. It's cool in the room, but Seungcheol’s hands are warm and slick as they descend on him, heels of his palm pressing into his flank and grinding down gently at first to check his tolerance, before repeating with more force.

Seungcheol tries to clear his mind, tries to remember his reflexology module, to recall the theory behind this practice and transform the image of beautiful flesh and milky skin before him into clean lines and diagrams of tendons, bones and muscles he’s studied, as to not to let himself get caught up in the heat of the moment.

"You're really tense baby" Seungcheol says, as he pushes his fingers into the slighter boy’s back, and he immediately winces when he hears himself, those words come out sounding like the mother of all cheesy pornography movies "I’m surprised you’re not limping around with all the knots I can feel in your back".

His hands, when they touch Jihoon’s shoulder, are more forceful. But they have to be, all of the smaller boy’s muscles are knotted up, hard and nearly unyielding from months of bad posture hunched over desks and computer screens for hours on end. Jihoon groans when Seungcheol's fingers bite deep. "Ohh….hmmm."

"Ch-cheol…. _hmgggg_ " Jihoon is sounding almost strangled. "That …..feels…. _.ggood_ …” Then he blinks, and says in his normal voice, "If you think this is going to satisfy me enough to disregard your dick…..you’re wrong Cheol-Hyung. If anything…..you’re turning me on more"

Seungcheol huffs but smiles. So what if it’s a little bad of him, when taking care of Jihoon’s injury, he allows himself to get absorbed in it. To listen to the sounds Jihoon makes, to maybe crack a small smile when the smaller boy arches into his touch, bucks his thighs up into his masterful soothing caress, to tell Jihoon, "No more rough-housing for you, going to wrap you up in bubble-wrap from now on" even though he’s the reason Jihoon has the injury in the first place.

“Haa….tickles…Cheol…ss..” Jihoon giggles as deft fingers cross over a sensitive area. Of course this reaction is music to Seungcheol’s ears and he just has to spend a small eternity trying to achieve it again, working parts of Jihoon's lower body that Jihoon had never realized were particularly ticklish areas for him. The crease at the top of his thigh, the soft patch of skin just above his tailbone, the back of his knee – Seungcheol gets acquainted with all of his most delicate areas, at length and Jihoon arches up into his hand, purring in contentment.

"Pretty kitten" Seungcheol says under his breath.

"You have…" Jihoon says, stifling another groan, "the….. most amazing hands Cheol, so big and strong. Your fingers feel incredible, firm but gentle for me…hmmm..I wish they were inside of me right now….stretching me open" Jihoon purrs over his shoulder at the older boy, looking far too turned on for Seungcheol’s comfort.

"Nice try Jihoonie" Seungcheol says, drily, and sinks his thumbs into the base of Jihoon's neck.

Jihoon makes a muffled, irritated noise. "I’m sorry hyung…." he says, reproachful. "I didn’t realise you suffered from erectile dysfunction…..what a shame because I could really use your cock inside me right now" Jihoon grinds his hips up, partly to distract Seungcheol, mostly because he feels good.

"Stop it kitten….stop….teasing daddy" Seungcheol says, gritting his teeth a little with the effort it takes to focus on massaging the tension out of Jihoon’s shoulders and reign in Cheol Junior from standing to attention at the younger boys tempting suggestions. “I swear to god Jihoonie…..if you don’t behave…”

Jihoon gulped at the darkening tone in Seungcheol’s voice, a thrill running through him “Are you going to….spank me Hyung?” Jihoon said, wiggling his hips up for emphasis.

Seungcheol stills his hand and takes a deep breath in through his nose. “No Jihoon…..I will send you far- far away to a ….Catholic Boarding School, run by Super Nun’s, who watch your every move and you will never get to cum again without being exorcised for your sins” Seungcheol warned.

"Hmph…Why are you being like this Cheol!....I want you" Jihoon sounds pained, possibly because Seungcheol is kneading a particularly tight knot in the small of his back into submission.

Seungcheol works his body steadily, when he reaches Jihoon’s ass, his hands almost become feather like in touch, gradually the strength behind them increases until there's a flash of pain and Jihoon jolts visibly. The ache begins in the center of his hole and travels up his spine- halfway.

"Hmmm..aahhh…Cheol" Jihoon moans as Seungcheol’s strong hands squeeze the firm globes of his ass, and Jihoon feels himself reddening, blood pulsing with excitement and turns his face to the side to watch Seungcheol work. “Hmm that….hurts…” Jihoon complains, even as his body moves into Seungcheol’s touch. " How do you know exactly which muscles to work on? Do you study how to do this in class?"

"Massaging people’s asses?…..ha…no….Not exactly" Seungcheol mumbles, biting his lower lip as his hands sank into Jihoon’s pert, pale rounded flesh. The way Jihoon arches his back and parts his legs, gives Seungcheol just _the nicest_ view of his most intimate area. Despite the sudden dryness in his mouth, Seungcheol has never felt such a primal urge to lick anything in his entire life. He screws his eyes shut and swallows down a groan-- Jihoon is starting to squirm in a very distracting way and he was definitely not reacting to the soft sounds spilling from his lips. He moves up to straddle the smaller boy’s thighs, tightens his hands around Jihoon’s ass, and leaning over to whisper into his ear. “I just know which areas hurt the most from my own experience with sports injuries, lucky guess--I guess”

Jihoon hums in agreement even though he can't register anything, except the feel of Seungcheol’s fingers kneading down into his thigh, Seungcheol murmuring softly in his ear, while his breathing hitches every now and then as the firm hands work a stiff knot. Jihoon's entire body is limp now, rag-doll-like, and he doesn't try to resist when Seungcheol pulls back. "So when you give up on this sex curfew you’re trying to impose…" Jihoon says, conversationally with a hint of mischief "I have something I wanted to try out…..how do you feel about….restraints?"

Seungcheol withdrew his trembling hands "Jihoonie…" he grunted reprovingly, fists clenching at his sides, trying to regain some semblance of control over their delicate interplay. "You really shouldn't say things like that around me" He strokes a hand down Jihoon's thigh, and more gently says, "I can get you off in other ways that don’t involve my dick inside of you"

Seungcheol turns him gently over onto his back then. When his fingers work nimbly on his neck, Jihoon draws a sharp breath and whimpers out, his eyes go dark when Seungcheol curls his fingers around his shoulders, sliding his hands slowly down. Jihoon's breath hitches when Seungcheol thumbs his nipples, just once, rough enough to make them stand up to attention.

The older boy runs his hands over Jihoon, over his slim hips, his chest and the muscles in his stomach, unconsciously licking his own lips. He realizes this when he catches Jihoon looking at his mouth, intent, biting his own lower lip. At last, Seungcheol's hands close around the smaller boy’s thighs and Jihoon’s eyes flutter shut as Seungcheol gives in a little, leans down and presses a kiss to the inside of his thigh, slow with a hint of teeth, but avoiding his cock. It makes Jihoon suck in a breath.

"That feels so nice Cheollie…. I’ve….never had a massage like this before…" Jihoon grunts. He sighs and sits up a bit, which forces Seungcheol to stop for a moment as the smaller boy reaches up to trail his fingers up the seam of Seungcheol’s jeans “Cheol, you’re making me feel really good hyung….really warm….can’t we just-“

"NOPE" Seungcheol snaps out of his trance then, removing the small hand idly toying with his jean zipper and placing it at Jihoon’s side. He nudges the smaller boy back into position, less than impressed with his covert tactics and destroying his composure, and resumes kneading. "I know what you’re trying to do Jihoonie….but you need to rest. You’re injured and…..it’s my fault"

"Choi _Seungcheol_ " Jihoon lets the boys full name roll off his tongue slow, making it sound like something wonderfully decadent. Reaching out again, running a finger down Seungcheol's thigh he says "Don’t say things like that……because you will be so embarrassed when you go back on your word and fuck me. Look….Cheol….I’ll even get myself ready for you” Jihoon offered, reaching over to pick up the bottle of oil from the bedside table.

Seungcheol shifted up and stopped his advance, gently flipping him back over on to his stomach. "No….shit….no…..stop it Jihoon" He slaps Jihoon's thigh, not too hard. Almost playful. "Please Jihoon….I don’t want to hurt you again, you need time to heal"

Jihoon pouts as he is rolled over on his belly, but then he turns his head to the side and smiles so brightly that Seungcheol nearly blinked. "Sometimes….I think all you want is sex Cheol….but here I am, begging you for it and….all you want to do is…. _look after me_ …..I….hmmm” Jihoon trailed off, whimpering softly as he looks up at him, a long searching gaze, and Seungcheol doesn't know what Jihoon sees but his expression softens, cheeks flushing lightly before he buried his face into the bedspread bashfully, facing away from the larger boy.

When Seungcheol finally finishes his work on Jihoon’s body, and crawls backward off he bed, Jihoon looks _drugged_ , eyelids drooped and his mouth hanging slack and open. He closes it after a moment, opens it again to say something and apparently thinks better of it.

"I’m going to run you a bath" Seungcheol punctuates this with a quick kiss to Jihoon's butt cheek, "Nice and hot, you can soak in it for a while before dinner, it will help with soothing your…internal muscles."

Jihoon rolls his eyes, if he had the energy for it, he might laugh hard. It’s strange being treated like he’s more privileged than he is, but he can’t make himself mind it, being looked after like this. It’s like nothing he’s ever experienced before."Cheol I’m fine…..you’re going overboard with this injury…..I don’t have a hernia or anything…it’s just a little tender"

“Yeah…and….the bath will _detenderize_ you “ Seungcheol argues. “I’m pretty sure that’s a word” he defends, moving to the bathroom.

Jihoon can hear the water running then and various other noises as Seungcheol prepares the tub. He re-emerges, the long sleeves of his shirt rolled up past his elbows. “Ready kitten?” He waits for Jihoon’s nod, dips down and collects him in his arms, cradling him as he moves him over to the bathroom. The lights are dimmed, cosy and carefully Seungcheol lowers him into the warm water.

Once Seungcheol sinks him down into the water, Jihoon feels every muscle in his body slackening, coming loose. It's as if he's punctured a hole in himself and all the air got out. He's been holding himself together so tightly for so long and unknowingly too, out of stress or frustration, he’s not sure. He closes his eyes and leans back in the tub. “Ahhhhh”

Seungcheol, moves to crouch beside him, dipping his hand back in to assess the temperature of the water and frothing up the soap bubbles. Jihoon reaches out and touches his cheek. "Thank you Hyung" he whispers sweetly, before letting his eyes shut. There’s a brief press of damp heat against his forehead then and he doesn’t realize until it’s gone that it was Seungcheol kissing him there.

Seungcheol is asking him a question about the temperature of the water, but Jihoon can't concentrate, can barely hear him. He's too busy feeling slow and loose, and oh shit, is he really about to fall asleep in the bathtub?

Apparently, yes.

Jihoon feels himself drifting off, his fine motor functions now completely out of his control and he registers Seungcheol’s hand diving into the tub and gripping his waist to stop his head from slipping under the water line. “Jihoonie….I’m happy that you’re comfortable enough to sleep…..but try not to drown ok”

Jihoon shakes awake then, completely back to alertness and shifts to support himself in the tub. Seungcheol smiles warmly at him and reaches a hand to cradle his jaw, pets his lips with a thumb and Jihoon kisses it in return, instinctively.  Jihoon takes the hand from his face and presses it to his lips. "Cheollie" His breath gusts hot across Seungcheol's knuckles. "You’re spoiling me….that’s not good Hyung. My standards will get so high and I will expect bigger and grander gestures from you…." Jihoon teased.

"Jihoonie….you dressed as a kitten last night…with a collar..and a leash. _I spanked you_. You’ve let me do…..lots of …. _fun stuff_ to you" Seungcheol says, and the smile that blooms threatens to crack his face apart, "I'm offended you even consider this as spoiling….I haven’t even begun to spoil you yet"

Jihoon blushes and reaches up and cup’s Seungcheol's face, then, kisses him hard and whispers against his mouth “I’m so turned on right now hyung….get in the tub with me” Seungcheol sighs and Jihoon kisses him again, carding his fingers through the dark hair this time.

By the time they part, Seungcheol is already glassy-eyed. He seems to be considering the suggestion, his composure is crumbling, he blinks once at Jihoon and then his shoulders slump as he pulls away with heat evident on his face. “You’re like….the little devil on the side of my shoulder Jihoonie whispering in my ear. Stay here, try not to drown …… I need to go get something” He said, lifting himself up and leaving.

Jihoon scowls as he watches him pad away, feeling mildly offended.

………………………….

Jihoon picks up the bathing oil Seungcheol has used in the tub, uncaps it and sniffs. It’s lightly scented of sandalwood and vanilla which compliments Jihoon. The scent has a tendency to stick, but it makes him feel quietly happy. He sets the bottle back down again and closes his eyes once more, the heat of the water dissolving away any remaining tension. He almost drifts off to sleep again, when he hears Seungcheol shuffle back into the bathroom.

“ **What-the-fuck** are you wearing?” Jihoon questions, cracking one eye open to look at the older boy who is now wearing the most hideous Christmas Jumper- he has ever bore witness to.

“It’s A Christmas Jumper….Jun gifted it to me for Christmas. I’m starting to think he hates me cause it’s really fucking ugly but I think it will serve a good purpose today” Seungcheol said, moving back over to the edge of the tub, slipping his hand in to pull the plug and drain the water.

“What purpose is that? To make you look ridiculously unattractive? “Jihoon said curtly, accepting the hand Seungcheol offered him, hoisting him out of the tub into an awaiting fluffy towel.

“Precisely” Seungcheol said grinning, looking unbearably nerdish and gorgeous all at once. “You can’t possibly still be turned on, not when I’m wearing this reincarnation of a Christmas tree” his eyebrows wiggled purposefully as he patted Jihoon dry.

“Oh I see what you’re doing….too bad....It’s not working Hyung…..I still wanna ride you, just now I wanna ride you wearing some fucking sunglasses or something”

“Jihoonie” Seungcheol’s voice rang out in warning “Please….don’t make me wear the matching pants” he said.

“Oh god!”

 

………………………………

After dinner and one more disastrous game of Strip Uno for Hoshi, they called it a night.

Lying under the covers, naked with Seungcheol spooning him, Jihoon had never felt more at ease. He was completely content and so relaxed he could doze off instantly, but was still lucid enough to call out to the older boy, curled around him.

“Cheol…I know you’re feeling guilty about last night and you really don’t have to…..I enjoyed it so much. I can handle the ache after….but….I can’t handle you not touching me…..don’t treat me like glass Hyung…..if I didn’t want something, don’t you think I would say to you?” Jihoon whispered quietly, turning his head slightly to look at Seungcheol in his periphery. The older boy had his eyes shut, but his brow was pinched with tension.

Jihoon hummed and tried again “Cheol….this whole day…has been…pretty perfect. You’ve been, as usual, an insufferable bastard and made me feel like a fucking king and I’ve just….lazed about and done nothing.” Jihoon spoke softly. Seungcheol looks at him then and quirks a half-smile and an eyebrow at him.

Jihoon whimpers, he wants Seungcheol against him, his warmth and strength, Seungcheol getting off on him and panting in his ear, and maybe he wants that enough that little details like his injury just don’t matter. “Cheol, I know I’ve been teasing you all day…but I’m being serious now…..I don’t want you to fuck me…..I just….I want you inside of me…I want..just to feel you inside me” Jihoon huffed softly, blushing under Seungcheol’s gaze.

Against his better judgment, Seungcheol looks him in the eye a while longer. Seungcheol is prepared to be a responsible adult and be quick-and-to-the-point with his response. He’s ready to say _you’re injured, I hurt you and I’m probably going to use a bucket of lube on you next time_ , but Jihoon is looking gorgeous and pleadingly over his shoulder, with wide emotive eyes and saying, "Please, Cheollie….I don’t want to fuck….I just want to feel you inside me….we can go slow" in a desperate, low voice, and Seungcheol doesn't have it in him to refuse that.

Jihoon doesn't know if his intention has translated correctly or whether he’s gotten through to the older boy, until Seungcheol's worried expression melts into tenderness, and he hears the rustling of fabric and Seungcheol’s voice muttering, "It’s concerning how little self control I have around you…." as he feels a slick finger begin to probe him softly.

Jihoon reaches behind and guides Seungcheol’s finger in deeper, easing the digit inside to the last knuckle and then demanding another. Seungcheol obeys, pulling out and then re-sheathing two fingers in carefully, watching Jihoon for signs of distress.

Jihoon rolls his hips back into the intrusion, sucking lightly at the tip of his thumb as the sensations coursed through him, eliciting from him soft mewls and groans. Seungcheol took the reactions positively and ventured to add a third finger, twisting it cautiously until Jihoon squirms against him with pleasure. He might only be using his fingers, but Seungcheol is good at it and is pleased to watch Jihoon come apart, to watch him writhe and clench hotly around them. He is devoted to learning Jihoon’s body, every nook and nuance like his life depends on it.

"Cheol…please, I’m ready….…I want you inside of me" Jihoon croaks again, and Seungcheol's lips twist into a tender smile before he pulls the covers down slightly, raises Jihoon’s leg off the bed, bending it at the knee to position him, handling Jihoon without effort or any hint of self-consciousness – he hooks his arm under the leg and braces his palm on the bed as he circles Jihoon’s hole with his cock.

He won't ask Seungcheol what he's doing. He doesn't want to be warned, he just wants Seungcheol stretching him open and filling him up already. Jihoon is close to giving up on his patience, he’s about to give the older boy specific and easy-to-follow instructions, possibly combined with a drawing and a death threat for potency, but when Seungcheol lifts his leg and slips into him from behind, with one smooth thrust of his cock, he wavers.

“Ahh…..aaaa….a….a…ssssss” Jihoon whines quietly.

There is a small flicker of remorse in Seungcheol’s face as he hears Jihoon’s stifled hiss, but it’s quickly extinguished once the smaller boy’s next noise is a soft needy moan and Seungcheol can't help but moan in return as Jihoon tilts his thighs back against him, pulling Seungcheol’s cock into him.

"Hurts," Jihoon says, the smallest whisper. He didn't even mean to say it, but Seungcheol hears him anyway and slows down to a stop.

" **Dammit** —I knew I sh-" Seungcheol says, hushed, he grimaces and tries to pull out.

" **No**." Jihoon's mouth is too dry to swallow, he reaches behind him to place a hand on Seungcheol, assuring him "Keep going….it’s getting better, please _Cheollie_ …aahhh"

Jihoon cries out when Seungcheol slides his cock in another fraction of an inch – it’s a strange sensation, so pleasurable, so intense, yet so different somehow that before. Jihoon’s legs fall wide open and he moans lowly, the steady stimulation of Seungcheol’s thick cock head brushing slowly across his inflamed walls pushing him fast towards climax. He closes his eyes and tilts his head back and pushes against Seungcheol and - _yes_.

"Ahh….Cheollie… _a-ahhh…._ sss" Jihoon sobs, out of breath, cock leaking on the sheets already. Seungcheol tries not to smile. He lifts Jihoon's leg a little higher and rolls his hips forward at an angle, sliding in and out at a gentle pace, leaning down to suck on the side of Jihoon’s neck available to him from his position.

Seungcheol's strong hands wrap around his hipbones, then, not grabbing him so much as steering him in the right angle. If Jihoon had any presence of mind, he would be overcome by how this tender coupling translated into the most intense physical pleasure. As it is, he's just overcome by how it makes him feel, which is _glorious_.

He feels lit up, hot all the way through. He feels like he's burning alive, a consuming fire burning him up slowly. He feels like he needs to come or he'll die, and he probably says something to this effect, because Seungcheol's hand is wrapping around his cock then. Jihoon's hands, which up until this moment were clenching in the sheets, find their way to Seungcheol's around his cock and tugs them away “No….don’t Cheol…..don’t…..don’t need it” Jihoon says, bringing Seungcheol’s hand away and pressing it against his chest.

Seungcheol resumes his thrusting, he kissed the top of Jihoon’s head, mouthed the side of his throat, and twisted their fingers together, all the while groaning audibly. Jihoon, however, can’t seem to utter anything but quiet moans for a long time. Jihoon looks lost almost, eyes wide, mouth open, red and wet. He's stopped making noises now, as if this gentle penetration requires his full concentration, as if it’s making him more buzzed out then their rougher coupling. Seungcheol is concerned that the slighter boy is in pain again but failing to share it with him.

"Is this good?" Seungcheol hazards after a few minutes of measured thrusting, his own control starting to wear slightly thin. He never thought going this slow would feel so _incredible._

“Yes….yes….Cheol….it’s….so…..so good” Jihoon murmurs quietly, head tilting back, jaw slacking as his body absorbs the sensations. “You’re making me……feel so _good….aaahh_ … _Ch-Cheoliel_ ” Jihoon comes, then, without being touched. He shuts his eyes tight, makes a short, quiet sound, and grabs Seungcheol’s arm closer, holding it against his stomach until he finishes.

Seungcheol feels like he should stop prodding, except that he doesn't want to. Jihoon moves a hand behind to cup Seungcheol's face, tracing the tight line of his jaw. Seungcheol, in reply, lowers his mouth to Jihoon's, soft and delicate. He barely moves inside him, only the tiniest shifts that Jihoon isn't sure are even voluntary. From this angle, Seungcheol can't even kiss him properly, he's just sort of mouthing against Jihoon's lips.

" _Oh god_ …..Seungcheol…… **oh god** …. ** _Come inside me please_** " Jihoon gasps into his mouth, and doesn’t let him go until Seungcheol thrusts once more, shudders and comes.

“Jihoonie…. _aaahhhh_ ” he puffs out quietly, feeling his release milked by the small body clenching around him.

“Jihoonie baby..…are you ok?" Seungcheol breathes into Jihoon's ear. Jihoon shudders, just a little, because he came so blissfully, a few minutes ago and he's still a little sensitive. Everywhere. "That was different….that wa…s" Seungcheol trails off, thinking. He's talking into Jihoon's shoulder, lips rubbing sensitive skin.

Jihoon huffs a laugh at his confusion, just a small tired thing. "That was _amazing_ Cheol" Seungcheol grins, and moves to withdraw but Jihoon clenches around him, gripping tight. “Hn-No…..Cheol…nhh….stay….stay inside me please” Jihoon pleads, opening his eyes even though he doesn't remember having closed them.

Seungcheol is panting softly, looming over him, staring with an expression Jihoon can't read.

"Yeah?" Seungcheol asks.

Jihoon allows his eyes to slide shut again and says, "It feels….right…nice..…just stay inside me please"

Seungcheol lets out a quiet laugh, warm breath against Jihoon's cheek as he nuzzles into him. "You fit me perfectly baby…..I would never pull out if I didn’t have to…"

Jihoon twists his head back and pulls him into a kiss then, long and hot and sloppy. His small body starts shaking and Seungcheol is starting to think that maybe he's injured him all over again but then Jihoon pulls back, giggling.

“Uhh…what’s so funny?” Seungcheol asks.

“Oh…sorry…I just was thinking about….’no sex for a month!’ speech you made earlier and….look at the time” he said, pretending to check his watch-less wrist “A mere eight hours later and you’ve folded Hyung”

Seungcheol mock pouted at the teasing “You know what……I hope your ass does fall out tomorrow…..then you’ll feel bad about teasing your Hyung like this when all I wanted to do was take care of your precious butt” he says drily.

Jihoon snickers for a moment and then bursts out into laughter. Seungcheol shakes his head, but can’t help but join him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was a little break for me while I worked on another fic. But back now.  
> This chapter was brought to you by  
> 1) http://sta.sh/01xvtq7wgx76This drawing from a reader. Thank you so much eomjicheok. Who drew KITTEN JIHOON! AAAAAAARRGHH! Seriously...check it out....awesome. ^_^  
> 2) Christmas jumpers.....I bet Seungcheol would make them look hot though. He can wear anything!!!  
> 3) Seungcheol just basically about to punish himself at the thought of hurting Jihoon....he totally would.  
> 4) Strip UNO....I mean...I've heard of it and....how its played is a myetry to me but Hoshi would totally lose.


	19. Edging

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Experimentation, feathers and...a little angst :(

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this took forever to write. Because I struggle with angst and had other projects running at the same time.

 

“You guys! You guys!” Hoshi comes barging in through the cabin door excitedly.

Nobody looks up from what they’re doing until he coughs and flaps his hands excitedly. “Sup Hosh?” DK finally acknowledges him.

“You won’t believe what me and Wonwoo just found outside!” He doesn’t wait for them to guess “A hot tub….. ** _a freaking hot tub!”_** He squeals.

“That’s great Hosh…..maybe if we decide to come back in spring or summer….we could use it” Jun tone is mirthless.

Hoshi’s excitement wanes only for a moment “What? No….we can use it now!”

“Hosh…..it’s like minus 5 degrees outside….and there is snow everywhere…even you can’t be this stupid” Mingyu says

Hoshi scowls at everyone’s lack of faith in his plan. “It’s a hot tub…. **hot** … **HOT** ….the water will be hot and it will keep us warm. We just need to fill it up and….maybe take out the leaves and twigs that are in it….but then it’s good to go!” he beams, jumping enthusiastically on the spot.

“And the dead frozen snake” Wonwoo points out.

Hoshi stops jumping and nods, conceding the point. “There’s a frozen dead snake in there too….but with it gone it will be as good as new **, c’mon guys!”**

“A snake? _Ew_ …..how big is it?” Seungkwan asks, folding over the page in his book.

Wonwoo shudders “It’s fucking massive!”

“Yeah?....How many feet?” Jun asks.

Seungcheol, who’s lying on the couch, head nestled in Jihoon’s lap, guffaws loudly “None you idiot…. it’s a fucking snake!” Jihoon looks down at him, thoughtfully amused at his apparent stupidity and just pets his hair, a little too rough.

“Hoshi…if you’re dead set on this, since it’s your idea, you’re going to have to do a lot of the cleaning up beforehand” DK says pointedly  “Why don’t you just get in the bath upstairs with a beer instead” he offered.

“ **No!** That’s not the same. We could set it up….have a couple of beers, watch the stars…ring in the new year. C’mon, it will be cool.” He urged.

“Won’t we freeze to death the minute we climb out?….I think this sounds like a bad idea, not to mention a whole lot of effort, Count me out” Seungcheol waved him off, butting his head into Jihoon’s hand again.

“I actually like the idea of a hot tub….” Jihoon chirps up.

Seungcheol is on his feet in a flash “Count me in then! Sounds like a great idea” Seungcheol says, exploding with unbridled energy “C’mon, Hosh….let’s tell that frozen dead snake to take a hike and get this hot tub show on the road!” He cheered, pulling his jacket on and dragging an excited Hoshi and flustered Wonwoo outside.

……………………………………………..

 

“You know what…I was sceptical about this….but you pulled it off….well done Seungcheol-Hyung, great job” Wonwoo commended, patting him on the back as they basked in his efforts. Neck deep in steaming, frothy water.

Hoshi’s mouth purses and he begins to say “Uhm…it was my idea-“

Mingyu groans heartfelt agreement. “Yeah….great idea Cheol-Hyung….you came through for us” Mingyu said, also reaching over to patting him on the back.

Now Hoshi looks put-upon, struggling to remain patient with the misdirected compliments that _should_ be offered to him. “ _Excuse me?…._ I think you’ll find that it was my-“

“Way to go Cheol-Hyung….you’re the best” Jun said, clinking his beer against the others.

Hoshi keeps glaring at them, shaken and furious at the lack of recognition. “You guys are doing this deliberately to annoy me“ His voice sounds indignant with shock as he watches them clink their bottles and ignore him.

Jihoon’s eyes twinkle and he joins in on the teasing as well, reaching over to poke Seungcheol in the chest.  “Good job Cheol! I knew you were more than just a pretty face” he added.

 **“It-was-my-idea!”** Hoshi snapped, gripping his beer tight.

“Three cheers for Cheol Hyung for fixing the hot tub!” Vernon hailed, raising his beer.

Seungcheol smiles and rolls his eyes because, really, sometimes it was too easy to rile Hoshi up- but he couldn’t resist. “Guys...please, stop praising me. We all know I didn’t do this all by myself, I think you’re forgetting who’s idea it was in the first place **.......Wonwoo** ….he was the mastermind behind the whole thing, I was just the muscle ” Seungcheol chirped in, raising his beer “To me and Wonwoo!”

“TO CHEOL AND WONWOO AND NOBODY ELSE!” They all rang out, raising their bottles high.

 **“That’s it!** Everyone can **get the fuck out** of my hot tub!” Hoshi seethed. He starts splashing about in the water, snarling out each word.

They all burst out into laughter following his outburst, and attempt to distract him with rubber duck procured from one of the bathrooms, and is met with mixed results.

“I’ve never rang out the new year like this” Jihoon said “It’s been really special….different, except for Seungkwan…he’s a constant in my life…but everything else has been new and fun” he finished, ushering sounds of agreements and nods from the others.

“Yeah, this has been nice, I usually get wasted at some party and bring a girl home……” Seungcheol blurts out without thinking. His eyes widen as Jihoon’s eyes narrow over at him “Uhh…..sorry….maybe I should stop talking….or maybe you can stop listening to the crap that comes out of my mouth” He says sheepishly, blinking in something like confusion.

Jihoon blinks and laughs, pushing down the spiralling jealousy he was feeling “No…it’s fine…….off course you dated before me, obviously. I guess nobody likes hearing about their boyfriend’s previous exploits” Jihoon reflected.

Jun speaks up then “If it helps Jihoon, Seungcheol probably doesn’t even remember any of their names” Seungcheol is quietly grateful that Jun deflected his idiotic and utterly embarrassing brain-mouth filter fail. That lasts all of 5 seconds before Jun continues talking “Before you came along…he was a terrible, truly awful playboy. He had so many ‘girlfriends’ in his first year…maybe a few at the same time even” he said. There's a faint smile hovering around the corners of his lips and eyes.

“Does anybody remember when he dated those twins!” Mingyu chimed in “Cause he can’t even remember that!”

“Ok….maybe we can change the topic of conversation back to pissing off Hoshi” Seungcheol said flatly.

“Seriously….twins? You don’t remember dating twins?” Jihoon asked in disbelief.

“He had another girl at the same time if I recall correctly!” DK added, nudging Seungcheol in the shoulder teasingly.

“Enough“ Seungcheol huffs angrily and takes another swift gulp of beer. “Let’s just change the topic please” he requests, glancing over to Jihoon, gauging his expression but Jihoon is silent next to him, just listening.

“Remember that time Wonwoo brought that pretty girl from his physiology class back for coffee one day…then he made the mistake of leaving her alone in the kitchen with Seungcheol-hyung while he went to the bathroom.” Vernon said, re-calling events “Then when he got back….they were making out against the fridge.”

“Oh my god” Jihoon and Seungkwan gasped in shock in unison.

“That….that never happened” Seungcheol said sullenly, starring down into his beer. Suddenly feeling very self-conscious.

“Yes….yes it did!” Wonwoo said, pointing a finger accusingly “I thought I was _finally_ getting somewhere with her. I even wrote her midterm paper for her and everything. I thought it was a done deal, thought it was my lucky night…then I go to take a piss, freshen up, put on some ‘cologne’ and I left her in the kitchen with ** _this_** sweaty motherfucker, who’d just gotten back from a jog…and when I got back…..Seungcheol- the sly bastard – had slipped in and pulled her out from underneath me” Wonwoo explained.

“And…. you forgave him?” Seungkwan asked, jaw slack in shock.

Predictably, Wonwoo gives him an exaggerated, long-suffering sigh “No. I’m still planning my revenge!” Wonwoo joked, pretending to look vengeful but the corners of her mouth are quirked up in a way that says he clearly doesn’t mind and probably thought it was really fucking funny, too.

Seungcheol actually ducks his head, bites his lip, and refuses to look at them. If Jihoon is not mistaken, the small smile on his lips is legitimately bashful. Seungcheol is good at playing cocky and lecherous once in a while. But he can be _shy_ when it comes to certain things. “Guys…..please, lets talk about something else…I don’t think Jihoon appreciates hearing about my dating record” Seungcheol spoke quietly.

“I **_do_** actually….I think I want to hear some more” Jihoon teased, elbowing him in the side.

“Oh goodie, cause I haven’t even started to lay into Hyung yet!” Hoshi applauded “Once, at the summer barbeque he-“

Seungcheol cuts him off hastily: “No..not that story…anything but that!” he pleads.

Hoshi thought quietly for a minute then proceeded “Alright…what about the time you lost that beer pong game and had to –“ Seungcheol launched at across the tub, dunking his head under the water to drown out his storytelling.

…………..

They ring the new year in the hot tub, counting down to zero and cheering, then cheering less quietly when Wonwoo reminds them that the snow fall and their current altitude could trigger an avalanche. They abandon the hot tub all together and make a run for the safety of the house when they hear a pack of wolves howling in response to their cheering.

While the other loiter in the kitchen, Jihoon warms up his body next to the fire, taking a seat next to Seungkwan on the couch.

“What do you think you’ll do next year when Seungcheol graduates?” Seungkwan asks unexpectedly, picking at the label on his beer bottle.

“I haven’t…really thought about it…that’s months away” Jihoon says. He’s mostly saying it to convince himself that he has plenty of time to think about it, but three months have gone by in a flash, the rest of the year will too-and he hasn’t given anything much thought, so swept up in enjoying the moment.

Seungkwan laughs. Then, still smiling, he squints sidelong at Jihoon. “Oh shit…have a made you over think? I was just wondering is all- but now I can see you have your thinking cap on and you’re going to over analyze this!” he grinned, ducking his head.

Jihoon looks down at his own beer bottle. He shakes his head. “I’m not going to over analyze it” he mutters. “But it’s a good question….Cheol is two years older than me…he….he’s not going to be here next year….and I still have at least two years before I graduate”

“So? What…you’re worried this is going to end when he graduates? That he will meet somebody else?” Seungkwan states and Jihoon wonders when he became so _transparent_. A quick glance assures him that his Seungkwan's smile is gentle, not mocking.

“Yeah…I guess I am” Jihoon says, after a pause.

“Have you spoken to Seungcheol about it?”

“No…I cant” Jihoon counters quickly, then reconsiders. “Well…maybe….I could…but not yet. I mean…it’s a little soon to think long term… right?”

Seungkwan offers a lopsided shrug “ _Maybe_ ….but you guys are leaping through hoops already. _So maybe_ that conversation will come along sooner than you think?”

“I don't -- know.” Jihoon's voice breaks slightly. He hunches over, and his voice is ragged and small and weak. Jihoon is not sure if he has been an unlikely speedbump in the racecourse track of Seungcheol’s life. He doesn’t want to be like Seungcheol’s ex’s. “You heard the others Joke about…Cheol’s dating history….he has a lot more ‘ _experience’_ than me and…what if I’m just…gonna bore him eventually?”

He hears the creak of the leather couch as Seungkwan leans over, squeezes his shoulder with one hand. His voice is steady. “If you had of asked me that question…two months ago…my answer would have been different. I don’t think he sees you like that. They were just teasing him and….even Vernon says that Seungcheol is different with you.”

Jihoon nods in agreement, it’s just what he needs to hear.

……………………………

After copious amounts of food and booze, they call it a night as they have to vacate the cabin in the morning. Seungcheol obediently follows Jihoon into the bedroom with a sigh of relief, feeling the day's stress slough off him with his clothes.

Jihoon emerges from the shower to find Seungcheol lying naked on the bed, it’s not some attempt at seduction, he’s reading a magazine, immersed in an article while he waits for Jihoon to exit the bathroom.

“You could have joined me you know!” Jihoon says, towelling his hair.

Seungcheol rolls onto his back as well, stretching his arms above his head. He hasn't bothered to pull his pants up, unabashed about his nakedness. “Hmm...yeah...I thought about it. Then I remembered we have to out of here tomorrow and should probably get some sleep tonight...if I joined you in the shower...that wasn’t going to happen” He said, a sly grin emerging on his face.

Jihoon giggled, swatting him playfully with his towel “Jun is right...you are a playboy” Jihoon teased.

Seungcheol’s features fell, he pouts, but sits on the edge of the bed to watch Jihoon change. Jihoon can tell, by the twitchy silence emanating from him, that something's on his mind. “Jihoonie…I hope you don’t really believe that....the stuff they were saying about me....dating all those girls”

Jihoon raised an eyebrow in response “Are you saying they made it all up? You know they’re just teasing you…you can handle it” Jihoon calls back, starting to shed his towel in favour of something more comfortable and warm.

“No...I’m just...I don’t want you to think that’s what **_we_** have” Seungcheol says, nervously fiddling with the edge of the bedspread “What I have with you is real...it’s not the same. With you...” Seungcheol starts, and trails off. He has to think about it for a minute. “It’s not like that with you…..it’s different. What we have…I can’t describe but it’s nothing like what I’ve had before”

“Cheol.....shut up” Jihoon laughs as he tongue ties himself.

When Jihoon moves to get under the covers, however, Seungcheol stops him. Jihoon hesitates, and Seungcheol gently takes his hands in his own. “No..just listen to me for a second” He trails off warily, half expecting Jihoon to laugh at him again or something, but Jihoon doesn't. He just nods thoughtfully. “I don’t want you to think it’s the same with you….I don’t want you to think I’m….like that” He huffed. “I haven't -- I haven't been in a committed relationship before you.” Seungcheol nearly chokes on the word _committed_. It's a slight relief that Jihoon appears as uncomfortable as he is.

“I wasn’t even thinking when I dated those girls…I just….did stuff. I was bored to death half the time I wasn’t interested in any of them. You mean so much more to me Jihoonie….I don’t even know …don’t know how to explain it. “What we have I know keep saying it but…it’s different Jihoonie” he says appreciatively, looking Jihoon over.

“I know that Cheol….” Jihoon says, sitting on the edge of the bed. Instantly Seungcheol is subdued again. “They were girls…and I am a guy”

Seungcheol’s head snaps up and he looks momentarily crestfallen, but then he brightens when Jihoon laughs “I’m kidding Cheol…you can be so sensitive sometimes”

Seungcheol manages to crack a faint smile, then sighs.

“I do think it’s amazing that you dated every single girl on campus, so had to switch to guys..” Jihoon purrs.

“What? It was a joke!” Jihoon says insistently, when Seungcheol throws a scowl at him, flops back on the bed and pulls the covers up over his head and sulks. Jihoon pursues him, grinning at his petulance “Cheol oh my god don’t be such a big baby”

Jihoon lay down next to him and cupped his cheeks “I’m just kidding Cheollie. I just think all these stories are a little surreal, I’m sure there is an element of truth to them but, it doesn’t matter cause…it doesn’t sound like you at all….it actually makes me feel really special. You’ve been so sweet to me. You don’t act like that with me at all….so if all that stuff happened…You must have changed or…..this means more to you” Jihoon blushed.

Jihoon drapes an arm over Seungcheol's chest, presses a kiss to his neck and rests his chin on Seungcheol's shoulder. It's casual and intimate, the kind of thing that makes Seungcheol want to lay here and stay put forever. “What we have is special Jihoonie. I know it is” He clamps his mouth shut then and thinks for a second, Jihoon can see him weighing his words. “I want to…say something to you but-“

Jihoon puts a finger to his lips, stops him. “Hold on Cheol...I need to go to the bathroom” Jihoon lies.

Seungcheol makes a discontented sound.  But remains silent, sighs through his nose and nods.

Jihoon disentangles, excuses himself and goes to the bathroom, because he can’t look Seungcheol in the eyes right now, in case it makes this too real for him. The reality scares him. The possibility that Seungcheol is going to lay something heavy on him right now, is scary.

He’s pretty sure he knows what Seungcheol was about to say. He’s glad he’s stopped him and bought some time, because it’s just too damn soon. _Isn’t it?_ It sends a shiver of -- _something_ through Jihoon's stomach. Unease? Fear? Want? He isn't sure. Probably all three. Because it’s only been like four months. Surely they are not ready for that yet?

There was a quiet acceptance in Seungcheol’s eyes. Maybe he knows it too.

“Okay,” he says finally, exiting the bathroom and climbing back under the covers but not looking up at the older boy, when he thinks he's ready to hear it. “What were you going to tell me?”

 “I'm ... never mind,” Seungcheol says. He shakes his head “Sorry. Never mind.”

In a sad way, it’s a small mercy, because Jihoon is not sure what he intended to reply with, maybe _slow down_ or _take it easy_ or _thanks?_ But just then, Seungcheol’s hand is cupping his cheek and his lips are on his and Jihoon is making this feeble whining sound, which makes Seungcheol kiss him harder

Then he's got Jihoon by the arms and he's licking into him, ravenous with the gesture he wasn’t able to put to words. Jihoon leans into him dizzily. It's not their best kiss by far, or their most comfortable, because Jihoon’s lip is trembling and the butterflies in his stomach are merciless, but Seungcheol is kissing him; with a finer detail now under the surface of it all. Seungcheol may be impatient sometimes, he may be possessive and he may like to be in control , but as it turns out, he is also quite tender and loving, as far as boyfriends go. Jihoon wouldn't know; he's only had one real boyfriend. One real partner at that.

…………………………

“I didn’t want this week to end” Jihoon confesses, as they pack their luggage into the Jeep, and turn back to look at the cabin in the distance. Jihoon crams his hands deeper into his coat pockets, ducks his chin into his scarf.

 “I’m gonna miss this place….we made some really good memories here…” Seungcheol says, brushing snowflakes off his own coat. “Now we have to get back to college and start assignments again….eeuhhhhh” he groans.

“Ahh Cheol……you should be used to the college workload by now” says Jihoon, reaching up to peck his cheek.

“This is coming from the guy who practically lives in the library when an assignment is due? You don’t get to lecture me about managing my workload” Seungcheol drawls, eyes hooded and dark.

Jihoon crawls into the passenger seat with a shuddering yawn and for one surreal second, Seungcheol wants to join him, recline the driver’s seat and go back to sleep and not have to think about the one hundred miles between him and their destination, how cold it is outside or his first lecture on Monday morning.

But the car isn’t going to drive itself. So he tucks his scarf haphazardly into his coat, turns on the ignition and swerves out of the parking area in a hurry.

……………………………….

By the end of January, Jihoon **really is** practically living in the library, which should seem excessive but doesn't, not when he’s nowhere near completing any of his assignments. Sleeping when there was still work to be done; when there was a deadline looming ahead- personifies Jihoon's idea of a failure. It’s not that he’s not tired or anything, he wants sleep more than a starving man could want food. He also, _incidentally_ , wants food! His body craving everything simultaneously as he denies himself even basic nutrition.

He’s sat in front of the screen for so long, it feels like he's drunk all the time. He barely even leaves his computer desk, except for short trips to the toilet and the vending machines to restock on Monster energy drinks, water and disgusting canned coffee.

It's when Jihoon breaks his own personal record of a 36 consecutive hours working, by working 44 hours consecutively that Seungcheol puts his foot down, when he finds out.

Jihoon is approaching hour 45 when he hears the familiar inflection of Seungcheol’s voice carrying through the air. He freezes up, just sits there for at least a minute, until he looks up and notices a classmate of his give Seungcheol a nudge and a nod in Jihoon's direction. Seungcheol glances over and rolls his eyes, thanks the student and makes a beeline straight for him.

His features darken as he rakes his eyes over Jihoon’s crumpled demeanor. “How long have you been here this time?” He asks, crossing his arms.

Jihoon shrugs feebly, feeling like a mutinous teenager.

“Oh?.....Don’t wanna use your words huh? Alright then…grab your stuff I’m taking you home” Seungcheol countered his silence.

Jihoon glares at him. Seungcheol suddenly softens, only slightly, his expression a little less angry. ”This isn’t healthy Jihoonie…at this rate..with how tired you look….you’re probably not even churning out good work anymore. You need a break kitten” he tries to reason with him.

“Leave me alone, I don’t your help Cheol…I’m a big boy” Jihoon drawled, now he sounded like a mutinous teenager too. Seungcheol raises an eyebrow at him and squares his shoulders. They're terrible at compromise. Jihoon says every time he gives Seungcheol an inch, he takes a mile; Seungcheol insists that Jihoon won't even give him an inch to work with.

Since he’s started his latest assignment, the older boy has been keeping tabs on him. Jihoon’s dorm is three minutes away from the library. The fraternity house is over 30 minutes away by foot, yet Seungcheol visits him every-single-day to make sure he’s slept sufficiently and eaten thoroughly. Jihoon keeps telling Seungcheol he doesn’t need the company, doesn’t need to be babied. Seungcheol likes to ignore him. Unfortunately for Jihoon, Seungcheol has been away with the basketball team at an away game the past three days, hence the long, unsupervised hours in the library he has been able to get away with.

“Listen Cheol….I just have to finish this paragraph…then I will take a break…I promise” Jihoon rasps, exhausted almost to the point of tears. He tries to take a sip of a water bottle on his desk, but it’s empty, he picks up another, also empty. Then he realises he’s surrounded by empty water bottles. He supposes he never slowed down long enough to pay any of them attention until now.

 “Jihoonie….I don’t give a shit…you’re coming home with me” Seungcheol says, voice calm but serious. Jihoon shakes his head and regrets it, he feels like he's fucking floating, all his limbs are so light and his mind so painfully blank. Jihoon wants to put up more of a fight, but Seungcheol is packing his bags for him and saving his progress on the computer.

“But I'm _fine_ , I just wanna finish this paragraph…Cheol!” he coughs out, trying to get a grip on himself.

“Blah-blah-blah….we’re leaving Jihoon” Seungcheol shakes his head, his mouth a thin line, steering Jihoon by the arm towards the exit.

He whines impatiently at the manhandling, but he allows for Seungcheol to drag him back to his dorm, because it’s closer than the house, for some much needed food and sleep.

When he glances at his reflection in his dorm room mirror his eyes are bloodshot, his hair is greasy, scraped back into a loose ponytail, he really needs to get it cut. His brain feels heavy and he feels perpetually on the verge of tears because he's _just so very tired_.

They settle on the bed together. Seungcheol perches up on the back of it, with Jihoon lying between his legs, as the older boy starts rubbing his shoulders, easing some of the tension out. Jihoon wants to be angry, wants to lash out at Seungcheol for dragging him from his work, but the tension is flowing out of him thanks to Seungcheol's ministrations, so he just sighs.

“Why do you do this to yourself little knife?” he asks “Joshua is in the same course as you, I’ve never known him to torture himself like this” A prickle of resentment fights its way up his throat – he wishes he could be as laid back as Joshua, relaxed and content with his efforts.

Jihoon feels sleepy and just wants to lay there, but he drudges up an answer anyway. “I don't know how to schedule my workload….I want all my assignments done **yesterday** …you know what I mean. I hate having a to do list”

Seungcheol starts to massage his arms, slowly. “You know you have to pace yourself….you need a better strategy because I honestly can’t see how you’re going to manage with the workload in your final year at the rate you are going” He warns

Jihoon opens his eyes and blinks “You’re right…and you…you won’t even be around to look after me…” he reflects solemnly.

Seungcheol chuckles softly behind him, he feels him press a kiss to the top of his head then “I’ll be around Jihoonie” he murmurs into his hair.

“You’ll not get sick of me and leave?” Jihoon wonders out loud. For once, he actually feels good. He stretches again, willing himself not to fall asleep, even though he's exhausted.

“Never” Seungcheol hums.

He doesn't think to thank Seungcheol, doesn't even think of showing his appreciation in some way yet -- he just falls into a few hours of sweet, heavenly, uninterrupted sleep. And if Seungcheol is watching him sleep and smoothing his hair back gently as he snores, Jihoon is too blissed out to notice.

……………………..

He wakes up at six in the morning, which means he's slept for something like five hours. That's a surprise. It doesn't sound like very much, but it is, especially considering he's been running on two three minutes of accidental sleep at his computer, every day before now. After approximately 45 hours without so much as a five-minute nap, all other needs pale in comparison.

He stretches and curls into his pillow, looking over at his alarm clock as his eyes droop shut again. His eyes fly back open less than two minutes later. He scrambles out of bed and starts pulling on clothing, raging inwardly at himself.

Seungcheol grumbles next to him “You’re not going back there until you have at least another nap and something to eat” he says, just as Jihoon is pulling on his t-shirt..

“Cheol seriously I slept for like 50 hours or something” Jihoon answers vaguely. “I really need to get this finished! I’ve lost so much time”

Seungcheol shrugs feebly. “More like four hours and a half…you can go little knife….but…you know I can just go and drag you back here…so you can waste more time going back and forth or you could do what I tell you” he threatens causally.

“I’ll grab something quick for breakfast on the way…and I’ll come back here later for a nap….does that sound acceptable-HYUNG?” Jihoon said, bracing his hands on his hips and eyeing the older boy down.

Seungcheol has his back to him in the bed but he hears him sigh quietly. Evidently he senses there's no use arguing the point, because he changes the subject and asks, “There’s a party in the house this Friday…you gonna make it?”

Jihoon leans over and kisses him on the check “Yeah…I should be finished this cancer of an assignment by Wednesday, I’ll have all day Thursday to sleep and I can spend Friday making myself look _human_ again” he says, jumping off the bed again and pulling his shoes on.

“Awesome….guess I’ll see you later….for lunch!” Seungcheol calls after him sleepily.

“Yeah…OK! ” Jihoon yells back, before he slams the door.

…………………….

Jihoon completes his assignment Tuesday, submits it Wednesday, sleeps like a log all day Thursday and makes it to the party on Friday, fashionably late as always. He wonders what he missed. He's glad he missed it. He's more than glad that it’s nearly over because he has an idea he’d like to set in motion ASAP. Jihoon doesn't like the push of the crowds at the peak of a party; he prefers the silence as it winds down, when he doesn’t have to cling to Seungcheol for dear life to avoid getting trampled to death and can converse with his friends without screaming at the top of his lungs.

“Jihoonie! My main man!” Mingyu greets him as he enters. “Woah..what’s with the new hair pal?” He asked, tousling Jihoon longer blonde locks as he passed.

Jihoon brushed his hair behind his ears “Hey..yeah…I planned on getting them cut but didn’t have the time”

“No…it’s suits you, keep it long. Cheol Hyung is out on a beer run, we ran out 30 minutes ago” he whispered into Jihoon’s ear. “I hope everyone is sufficiently drunk to not notice I’ve replaced the punch bowl with lemonade and I’ve watered down the beer we had left” Mingyu explains, winking.

…………………….

When Seungcheol gets home, he looks first shocked and then delighted to see Jihoon there. He gives Jihoon a long, tight hug, as though to ascertain he's really there.

“You’re alive! I thought you would have melded into the computer by now. I didn’t expect you to come at all ya know…I’m so happy you did” He said, nuzzling against Jihoon’s cheek.

Jihoon pulled back and took his hand, squeezing it gently “Sorry I’m late….but I had…a little preparation to do before I came.” He toys with the hem of Seungcheol’s T-shirt for a moment, tempting him with his coyness, then looks up at him from under lowered eyelids, because that's a look that always gets Seungcheol going, too.

“Hyung….When you’re finished….. _hosting_ for the night….you know where to find me” he said, backing away slowly, and releasing Seungcheol’s arm to drop limply, before turning and climbing up the stairs.

Seungcheol watches him leave with barely contained hunger on his features, Mingyu pokes him in the shoulder “Hyung….do you want me to take over with the hosting?” he offers, grinning.

“No….I can handle it…..I’m in control of my body…..it’s fine” Seungcheol shrugged dismissively. Which is complete bullshit, if Mingyu knows anything about Seungcheol, and he flatters himself that he does, is that his balls are about to explode.

**FIVE MINUTES LATER**

“Hyung…..are you sure you don’t want me to take over hosting?” Mingyu offers again, watching Seungcheol fiddle aggressively with the beer keg, trying to tap it with shaky hands.

“YES **….fuck** ok. God I’m **dying** here!” Seungcheol relents, handing the tap to Mingyu and pushing through the crowds towards the staircase.

……………………….

“Oh….party over already?” Jihoon quirked his eyebrow in amusement, eyes not leaving his phone as Seungcheol entered the bedroom.

“Not really….but there is a better party just starting **_in my pants_** , I’d rather host it! Oh and guess what?.....You’re on the VIP list Jihoonie” Seungcheol said, pointing with one hand, the other already working on unbuckling his belt.

“You’re so cheesy…..it’s a wonder you got anyone in bed with lines like that” Jihoon laughs, scooting backwards towards the headboard.

“Works on you though—where are you going?…..Come over here” Seungcheol gestured, lifting his t-shirt over his head then pausing his undressing to reach up from the foot of the bed for the smaller boy. Jihoon tucked his legs in, moving out of Seungcheol’s grasp. “Don’t tease me Jihoonie…..come here”

“ **You** come over **here** ” Jihoon said, a hint of a challenge in his voice.

In the dim light, Seungcheol can see that Jihoon's lips are red and wet, like he’s been biting them. His eyes, aside from being wide with faux innocence, look slightly too dark, enough to give him an almost vacant look.

Seungcheol narrowed his eyes suspiciously but straightened up and moved around the bed to reach him. On closer inspection Jihoon appeared focused, almost predatory- and as soon as Seungcheol got to the top of the bed, Jihoon scooted to the other side, again out of reach. “Ok….are we playing tag again? You know you don’t last more than ten seconds petal….” Seungcheol said, moving to kneel on the bed and reaching over to take hold of Jihoon’s arm, trying to pull him close.

Jihoon grinned wickedly, then pounced on him, toppling them over into the middle of the bed

“What the he-“ Seuncgheol doesn't get to finish the word, because Jihoon claims his lips, Jihoon’s tongue is in his mouth and small hands are gripping his wrists, trying in vain to raise them above his head. Seungcheol backs up quickly enough that he raps his head against the headboard, and breaks the kiss, trying to bring his arms down to encircle Jihoon in an embrace, but the younger boy claims his mouth hungrily again, brings a knee up in between his legs and grinds down against the bulge forming in Seungcheol’s pants.

“ _Hmmfffss”_ Seungcheol’s moan is muffled into the kiss, as pressure is applied teasingly on his groin. He is so distracted by the torturous friction he doesn’t notice Jihoon fumbling with something under his pillow, he doesn’t register a metallic clicking sound emanating from overhead and he doesn’t feel his wrists encircled until Jihoon pulls back, breaks the kiss and sits back, his arms fall to his sides, and Seungcheol can just about make out the arrogant sweep of his eyelashes as he looks Seungcheol over, as if he’s celebrating a victory.

Seungcheol’s brows furrow in confusion and he moves forward to reach for the younger again, when he is tugged back, only then does he look up to see that his hands are cuffed to the bed post. “The fuck?” Seungcheol says in shock, tugging on his wrists and - **Yup** \- those are definitely cuffs.

Seungcheol straightens up against the headboard so that he can rest his head on his wrists behind him, and puts on a super professional voice when he addresses Jihoon. “May I ask, just what you think you’re doing Lee Jihoon?”

Jihoon smirks and straddles him, settling flush on Seungcheol’s groin, and the heat of him is already making Seungcheol's dick twitch interestedly. He arches a little, pressing his dick just slightly against Jihoon’s ass, and Jihoon moans softly “Hmmm…I can’t believe how easy it is to cuff you Cheol-Hyung. You said you wanted to try cuffs remember…..so here we are….might not have been what you had in mind but…..I think it will be just as much fun if not **_more_** if you let me be in control” Jihoon purred.

Seungcheol bites his lip and tilts his head back, although he looks like he wants to thrash out. He manages to refrain, though, which is probably a good sign. When Jihoon was waiting for him to arrive he had a few short minutes to prepare himself, stash the cuffs, a few other items and gingerly finger himself. He was hoping the older boy would be up for experimenting. And if he struggled to actually restrain him. Oh well. Fantasizing about it is almost as good, anyway.

Seungcheol doesn't speak again, he just lies back and watches him. Jihoon takes it as acceptance and starts stripping him, methodically, and Seungcheol obligingly raises his hips off the bed so that Jihoon can pull down his pants and boxers. When he's entirely naked, Jihoon takes a second just to look at him. The rough material of his jeans betray that he's already at least half-hard and leaking.

Jihoon runs a finger down the length of Seungcheol’s prick and when he reaches the tip he encircles the head and dips down to lave his tongue over the slit. Seungcheol sucks in a tight breath, closing his eyes. “Oh….… _ahhh_ sss” he hisses. Jihoon watches him through his lashes as he takes the head into the welcoming warmth of his mouth, sucking softly, tongue fluttering along the underside. He gradually increases the pressure of his mouth, swallows more of the thick length in and hollows his cheeks, but when Seungcheol jerks his hips up; impatiently trying to fuck into the inviting heat; he pulls back completely, and sits up to look at the older boy with amused annoyance.

“That wasn’t very nice of you Cheol….I nearly choked…..think I might have to punish you for that” Jihoon teases, letting go of his erection and crossing his arms to pull his own jumper over his head, tossing it off to the side. 

Seungcheol shakes his head impatiently. “We’re going too slow….C’mon Jihoonie….un-cuff me….I’m _dying_ here”

Jihoon tilts his head to the side and waggles his finger. “Just wait….You’re always in control Cheollie…” He lets Seungcheol soak that in for a moment, then goes on, “Haven’t you ever wondered what it would be like to be completely _helpless_?”

Seungcheol feels inexplicably embarrassed. “Yeah…but….I….I dunno…not like this I guess. I didn’t really get any warning” Jihoon squeezes his eyes shut, a little disappointed and then, just when he thinks Seungcheol is about to ask to be un-cuffed again, he says, “But…..I trust you….so….go for it”

It's not every day that Seungcheol hands control over like this. The weight of Seungcheol's surrendered control hits Jihoon like a wave, buoying him above his own aroused state. He trails his finger down Seungcheol's face to his cheek “Thank you Cheollie….” He says sweetly, before slapping the cheek roughly.

“Hey!” Seungcheol blurts out, face reddening under the surprise assault, but he grins shortly afterwards as Jihoon doubles over with laughter.

“Sorry……sorry” Jihoon chokes out between laughs “All this power is getting to me, lucky for you I don’t top in our relationship” he said, the smile tugging at his lips doesn't look cruel or taunting. Maybe a little bit fond.

“What are you talking about…..you DO top!” Seungcheol said grinning “I might get to stick my dick inside you…but you’re always the one who’s in control….sometimes… I think I can’t take a shit without your approval” Seungcheol reflected, voice strained.

“Yeah?.......guess you’re handing over complete control then tonight hmm….how generous of you” Jihoon smiled and bit his bottom lip, caressing the cheek he slapped moments earlier, softly. “If you trust me Hyung…..will you let me blind and gag you?” Jihoon said, reaching under the pillow again and pulling out a silk cloth and blindfold.

“Woaahh…..where did you get those?” Seungcheol waggled his eyebrows excitedly.

“Never-you-mind……can I use them or not?” Jihoon asked, reaching over Seungcheol’s head and slipping the blindfold around the back.

“I dunno…..you’re the one who’s in control here boss….I’m just your helpless stooge” Seungcheol laughed. Jihoon grinned and slipped the blind fold over his eyes, settling the elastic over the nape of his neck.

“Before you gag me…..do we have a safe word? What if I need you to stop?” he manages to ask just before Jihoon stuffs the silk in his mouth. He makes an involuntary choked sound in his throat. Jihoon presses something into his hand then and Seungcheol grips it tightly, unsure of what it is but when he squeezes it hard, it beeps loudly.

“If you want be to stop, just squeeze it….kinda like a safeword” Jihoon explains. Seungcheol nods his head in understanding. Seungcheol’s grows lax while Jihoon positions them more to his liking, Seungcheol in the centre of the bed, sitting partially upright against the headboard, legs parted and arms cuffed above his head.

“Hang on,” he says finally, and lifting off Seungcheol, he disappears into the bathroom. He makes a soft purring sound when he joins Seungcheol on the bed, now completely bare. He takes a few moments just to trail his fingertips up and down Seungcheol's thighs, slow and teasing like he knows he likes it.

Seungcheol groans at him, his eyebrows are furrowed as he bucks up to get more skin on skin. He tries to pull away from the headboard, but the strain of the cuffs tug him back a step.

“Patience Cheol….. …let me take my time. Just sit back and relax,” he says at length, taking his hand away. There's a pause while Seungcheol hears him fiddling with something, and when Jihoon brings a hand back, he realizes Jihoon is trailing a feather lightly over his skin. Seungcheol gives a sigh that comes out like a strained whimper.

“Ah…I thought you would like this Hyung” He traces the feather, teasingly just over the right spot, and Seungcheol melts into the sheets with another strained sound of pleasure. “I’m happy to see that I was right!”

Seungcheol snorts softly at that. He feels on edge already, even though he wants to stay hard if only so he can enjoy every second of this. Jihoon seems to sense it. “No, Cheol….you have to hold out. I’m nowhere near finished with you yet” Jihoon states.

Seungcheol abides. Gradually Jihoon presses closer, until he's climbing on top of Seungcheol, rubbing against him and leans forward so that his face is barely touching the older boy’s neck, nudging his chin up lightly and grinning as he brings the feather up, tracing it along the toned muscle on Seungcheol’s chest and across his collar. Jihoon is mesmerized by the slight twitches and shifts of the muscle bouncing underneath the skin, responding to the teasing stimuli and brings the feather up across his cheeks next, and caresses it over his nose. Seungcheol grins and wrinkles his nose promptly, gripped by tenderness, Jihoon drops a careful kiss on the tip of his nose.

Seungcheol laughs in self-deprecation and shakes his head. He's shivering because his circulation feels different – he’s obviously nervous, and Jihoon's teasing with the feather seems to have redirected his entire blood flow to his groin. He's in no position to do anything about it, though because when he tries to rock against Jihoon's thigh, with his limited movement it only serves to frustrate him.

He’s just relieved when Jihoon gets back to work, lifts off his lap and a hand makes its way down to Seungcheol's groin, and Seungcheol makes a soft sound when Jihoon finally, _finally_ wraps a hand around his aching cock.

Seungcheol just makes an unintelligible sound into his gag, because Jihoon is working his cock like _magic_ now and with the recent neglect, his touch feels heavenly. Seungcheol’s moans fall silent, and for a while the only sound to be heard is the occasional, slickening slip on skin and soft grunt of exertion on Jihoon’s part as he massages Seungcheol’s cock.

And it's good, it's so good Seungcheol is already about to come when he realizes just how low Jihoon’s other hand has travelled, just as an oiled finger eases inside him without preamble. Seungcheol makes a low gasping sound of protest at once, starting to arch upright, but Jihoon other hand is picking up the pace on his cock, distracting him. It feels somehow weird, way too intimate. But Seungcheol sinks back down, wary- but permits the intrusion.

“Do you like that Cheollie?” Jihoon coos, slipping his finger out again, watching the older boy for signs of discomfort. When he doesn’t get a shrug or a nod, he tries again, slipping the digit in between his cheeks and in, just the tip again, rubbing it around the entrance, then in and out repeatedly, feeling Seungcheol start to open up under him, Jihoon shifts, lets the first hints of slackening muscle direct his way.

It’s an immense sign of trust that Seungcheol is allowing him to do this and although he doesn’t say anything, he parts his legs further, silently encouraging it.

Jihoon is pleased with the response, but scarcely gives him time to enjoy it before he pulls his finger out, straddles Seungcheol and takes his cock in with a few careful thrusts. Seungcheol only has a moment to appreciate the whole thing – Jihoon’s body is sweet, hot, _tight_ around him as he lowers himself rapidly on Seungcheol’s shaft and rocks on his lap briskly – before he climbs off him again and settles lower on his thighs, leaving his arousal bereft of contact.

 ** _“Hmfmmff”_** Seungcheol muffles in protest as the first touch of cool air to his cock actually **_stings_** , feels like an icy breeze compared to the tight heat he was just cruelly denied. Seungcheol breathes shallowly, grinds his teeth into the gag, hands fisting the headboard as Jihoon climbs off and continues his teasing with the feather.

“Orgasm denial” Jihoon explains. He's panting too; fever-flushed and bright-eyed when Seungcheol tugs at his restraints roughly.

“Uh-uh” Jihoon tuts. “You didn’t think it would be that easy did you Cheollie? **_Oh no_** …..I haven’t even got around to using this little toy on you” Jihoon teased, pressing a small rounded object against Seungcheol’s skin “Do you know what it is… _can you feel it?”_ he asks the older boy.

Seungcheol shakes his head. Jihoon smiles and grips his cock again, sliding the object over the swollen tip and down the head over the smooth skin of the shaft. Underneath him Seungcheol strains and bucks, gripping at the headboard tightly, teeth biting into the silk of the gag.

 “It’s a cock ring Cheollie…..it’s going to make you last a long, long time….I want to play with you for ages” he says. Jihoon doesn’t give him time to adjust, moving to hover over his erection and taking him in all the way and then immediately withdrawing. Seungcheol whines, he needs to feel that soft gripping heat move around him for longer than that, but Jihoon is doing this intentionally, goading him.

Jihoon’s tactics are torturous, once he slips the cock ring on, he rides Seungcheol energetically, bringing him to the brink of orgasm, then pulls up and off his cock all together. Grips the base of his erection tightly and brings him away from the edge, denies him release. Jihoon’s hand on his cock is not hard enough to hurt or damage, but just necessary to make Seungcheol uncomfortable enough to go limp. Once he is satisfied Seungcheol is nowhere near coming, he repeats his actions, teases him to hardness with light touches of the feather and his fingertips, straddles him and bounces off his cock until they’re both desperate, needy and begging for release, then he stills his hips as he feels Seungcheol tense and jerk, a knowing tell that he is close to orgasm, and pulls off him again. Leaving the older boy sobbing for release. Everything in Seungcheol’s life dwindles down to those two points of contact, Jihoon’s hand or ass surrounding his cock and the torture of the feather, and nothing else.

Jihoon caresses the side of his cheek affectionately, watching Seungcheol puff angrily through the gag around his mouth. He’s robbed him of most of his senses and now denies him release. It’s rather wicked if he thought about it long enough. But edging has its benefits, and he knows Seungcheol appreciates experimentation.

“Aww.. _Cheollie_ …are you angry?” he coos, returning to trace the feather down overs his chest and abs, swirling the tip across his angry red cock head. “Are you angry with me?….Do you want me to stop?….Have you had enough?” Jihoon teases.

Seungcheol’s body reacts to the playfulness accordingly, and warmth pools in the base of his spine as his thoughts grow fuzzy again. He huffs through his nose, but shakes his head, defiant. “ _Good_ ….cause I wasn’t going to” he said, taking hold of the engorged member once more and sliding his palm over the heated flesh, circling the head and jerking it back into hardness again. Seungcheol moaned into his gag, jerking his hips up into the warmth of Jihoon’s palm.

“I could keep this up all night Cheollie…what about you?….Will you let me do this to you all night?” Jihoon murmured lowly against his ear as he moved to straddle him once again.

Seungcheol tugged on his cuffs, and shrugged his shoulders, silently explaining that perhaps he did not have a choice in the matter. “You just press that button Cheol…all this will stop. You have a choice….I can stop right now.”

Seungcheol shook his head again and unbeknownst to him Jihoon grinned in victory. He reached behind himself and lined up Seungcheol’s cock with his hole again, took a deep breath and lowered himself on to it for the 7th time that night, gasping as his internal muscles clenched sporadically around the welcomed intrusion “Ah…ahhh..shit Cheol…hmmmm—fuck”

“Cheol-cheol-cheol—ahhh” Jihoon moans as he guides the engorged cock in and out of his hole with careful grinds of his hips. His fingers gripping on Seungcheol’s shoulder, supporting him as he fucks himself down, are trembling with a mix of adrenaline and lust.

Jihoon lets them both get to the edge, then stops his movements, lifts off again, just as he’s reaching his crescendo. Seungcheol growls, frustration flares in the pit of his stomach. He can feel every nerve ending in his body lighting up at every point of contact. It feels incredible but it hurts too- he can't tell the difference anymore and he tugs violently on the cuffs, the headboard creaks with the force.

“Shhhuhhsh” Jihoon chides, reaching up to still his hands “You’re going to hurt yourself Cheol, these cuffs are lined but your wrists are looking pretty sore right now…stop struggling” he coos.

A hand slips down to grip the base of his cock again, he doesn’t jerk him, simply applies pressure and watches as Seungcheol’s breaths even out and calm as his erection dies down. “Good boy” Jihoon soothes, releasing the flaccid length briefly, before trailing his fingers up to the tip and teasing the slit, finger tip pressing into the slick slit at the top. Seungcheol’s cock jerks in reaction.

“Do you know what my favourite thing about you is Cheol?” Jihoon asked, circling the slit of his cock with his index finger lazily. “You always surprise me….just when I think I’ve got you figured out….you….show me a new side. You’re so unpredictable it excites me” Jihoon reflects fondly.

Seungcheol chooses that moment to spit out the gag “You like surprises huh?”

It’s all the warning Jihoon gets before he hears a tremendous snap resonating in the room, the clinking of metal against wood and looks up to find Seungcheol lowering his hands from the headboard.

He’d snapped the cuffs in two.

“Oh shit” Jihoon gasps, seconds before he was thrown down near the foot of the bed, Seungcheol weight pressing him down roughly into the mattress as he whipped the blindfold off.

“Fun’s over kitten…. ** _my turn now_** ” Seungcheol growled, he tipped his head back and howled into the air. There’s nothing to Seungcheol but need, now, nothing but coarse animal lust as he rolls them over, bracing himself atop Jihoon and grinning down at him.

Jihoon clasps his hands on the older boy’s arms and grins right back “Did you just howl at me…like a wolf?” he says breathlessly.

“Yeah….you got a problem with that kitten?” he growls, nipping at Jihoon’s neck.

“No……it’s kinda hot” Jihoon gasps and arches up, his legs crossing in a stranglehold behind Seungcheol’ back, pulling him in between his legs tighter. Jihoon presses close, mouth hungry against Seungcheol’s, and Seungcheol tilts his head and licks in, holding tightly to him. He needs more, desperate for it but shaking with indecision as to what and how. He needs to fuck Jihoon raw, needs to touch and kiss him all over, needs to fuck him until they’re both exhausted.

 ** _“Good_** ” Seungcheol pants as he leans back, “Cause this is not going to be slow…I’m going to make you scream kitten….I want to hear you scream my name” Seungcheol states, his voice is so low and thick, gravelly from the teasing- he barely recognizes it. He has had enough teasing for today. He rears back, snarling, and wrenches Jihoon’s legs apart, spreading him open.

He hikes Jihoon’s legs up over his shoulders one second, pushes into him the next, moving harsh and careless. Jihoon tosses his head back, a broken whimper coming out of his throat, the pitch of Jihoon's breaths is rising, and he's so open for Seungcheol, so wet and tight and welcoming.

He pushes his lips against Jihoon’s, but the smaller boy is too busy vocally sharing his pleasure with the rest of the house to participate in the kiss. “YES…DAMN…YES!”

So Seungcheol satisfies himself nipping Jihoon's ear and pushing deeper inside, tossing his head back when he's fully sheathed and viciously growling out the sounds that he had to reign in previously. “FUCK…HOONIE…YES”

Jihoon's moving back on him in frantic little motions, noisy, appreciative, twisting fitfully under him, even begging “Fuckh… _ahhh_ Cheol… _pleaaasee_..yes….. _yes….ahhhhh_ ” Jihoon moans, those raw scraps of words hitting Seungcheol right in the gut.

The hours of neglect and denial have made Jihoon’s hole _-hot-so-hot_ , his muscles quivering and clenching around Seungcheol’s cock. He establishes a rough, bruising pace and pounds into the smaller body with wildness, gripping Jihoon’s slight hips tightly, keeping him pinned to the bed. It’s all Seungcheol can do to keep his eyes open and focused on Jihoon’s face. It’s worth it, though, for the way Jihoon’s mouth opens and his eyes roll back in their sockets.

“Cheoo—lll Ahhh….yesss….hhhmmmm fuck!”

“Take it,” Seungcheol grunts. “Who’s the good boy now- kitten? Huh…. ** _take it_** ” and Jihoon does, he always does.

Seungcheol angles himself upward at the next thrust, pulling a weak cry out of Jihoon. He repeats the action, the same angle but shoving harder, and earns a sharp hiss and on the third thrust, hitting of Jihoon’s prostate again; Jihoon obliges him by tossing his head back, screaming his name and trembling violently against him as he comes, slickening his stomach with his semen. Seungcheol grins with victory.

Seungcheol feels the friction catch just near Jihoon’s rim as he withdraws again, as the smaller boy’s body rides his orgasm. “Greedy little kitten” Seungcheol whispers in his ear, his hips snapping in and out with quick thrusts, moving only a fraction inside Jihoon’s tight, little, clenching hole.

“Open up for me baby…. _come on_ ” he urges Jihoon. He commences thrusting again as Jihoon loosens up and accepts his full length again.

 _“Shit, shit, shit, shit_..shit gonna… **Fuck**..ahhh..god **_Jihoonie I love you so much_** ” Seungcheol groaned into his neck as he came, spurting thick and heavy into the smaller body writhing beneath him, filling him good and wet.

“Ah…. _wha_?” Jihoon gasped, still holding on to him, hearing the words bounce around his head and feeling Seungcheol’s release coat his insides, the older boy shudders and collapses on top of him, spent.

Jihoon lies frozen underneath him, panic starting to set in despite his orgasm still resonating in his body. Seungcheol lifts up and pulls out of him then, but remains above him, begins showering him with soothing kisses.

“You're _beautiful_..you’re so _perfect_ …. _I love you….I love you…I love you_ ” Seungcheol murmurs softly, kissing Jihoon’s temple and his cheek, whispering like he half doesn't intend for Jihoon to hear. But in the aftermath of sex, his senses still ringing high, the words are deafening to Jihoon’s ears, it’s all he can hear. This turn of events is so unexpected that he doesn't know how to handle it.

Seungcheol props himself on one elbow, looking down at the younger boy, searching his eyes “Jihoonie……that was incredible…..are….are you okay?” he asks, cheeks flushed.

Jihoon’s throat-clearing turns into a cough, because there seems to be a thick lump in his throat and he can hardly speak around it.  “Y-yeah….uhm….yeah…fine. It’s just…..You said…” He pauses. Seungcheol watches him, and doesn't say anything for a moment. The pause is very brief, but it lasts too long.

Seungcheol starts to straighten up a little. “Yeah….I know” Seungcheol turns away slightly, brushing briskly at his eye and clears his throat. His voice is hoarse. “I guess I got so swept up in the moment…I just sorta….said what I was thinking” Seungcheol lays a hand on Jihoon’s cheek and the coolness of his palm makes Jihoon realize for the first time how flushed he is from head to toe. “You don’t …have to say anything..it’s just how I feel. Maybe it’s not the…most romantic way I wanted to say it…but it’s true…I love y-” Seungcheol says

“ _Cheol…stop_ ” Jihoon says breathlessly. Two seconds later, he feels the heat creep up his neck and to his cheeks, because, fuck it all, that just slipped out and he hadn't planned or measured that response at all but it seems to be all he's able to say for the next few minutes, because Seungcheol’s hand drops from his cheek and they lay there just staring at each other. By the time his heart has slowed to its normal resting pace, his good feelings are already evaporating away. In their place a strange emotion, hard to identify, he feels bruised, scared and a little nauseous.

Seungcheol gathers his shaky limbs and rolls off the bed to get dressed. Without looking at Jihoon, he says, “Ok….I’m gonna go downstairs and help the others clean up…..you…should get some sleep”

“Yeah.” Jihoon lets go of his breath and opens his eyes. His chest hurts. “Okay”

Seungcheol pauses at the door, he turns back to the smaller boy, purses his lips, his brow furrows momentarily like he just relived the last few minutes all over again and hurt washes his features. He smiles then, at Jihoon, dark eyes intense and possibly a little tragic, clears his throat, a discomfited sound. “Night-night Jihoon”

……………………

When he wakes up the next morning. Seungcheol’s side of the bed is empty. It always is because he’s an early riser, but this time it’s different. The memory of last night makes Jihoon burn with embarrassment and shift uncomfortably in the bed. They’ve been discovering each other over the months, finding out new things, new experiences. He's _never_ thought about what comes next, he never expected Seungcheol to say those words so soon.  Everything about their exchange last night was making him nervous in new ways. They’ve just known each other for a little over five months, he reminds himself, it’s normal to feel apprehensive, but they went to sleep with so much unsaid between them.

He looks over to the empty side of the bed bleakly and realizes he's hyperventilating, really hard. He’s having a panic attack for God's sake. He remembers every detail so clearly, he loathes himself for making Seungcheol wear that hurt expression on his face. He thinks about how Seungcheol’s hand had cupped his cheek, the almost pleading look in his eyes and has to close his eyes and think of something else, or nothing at all, and ends up rushing to the bathroom to throw up.

As soon as his clothes are on and he looks halfway presentable, he grabs his beanie, stuffs it over his head, slips on his earphones and trudges downstairs.

“Morning Jihoonie!” Mingyu chirps, far to cheery considering the mess the house is in, the kitchen must still be intact if he is that happy.

“Morning Mingyu….uhm….where is Cheol-Hyung?” He asks.

“Loverboy is out with Wonwoo, doing grocery shopping for the week ahead, but don’t worry he’ll be back soon. Breakfast is in the kitchen if you like” Mingyu says, clearing some debris off the couch and taking a seat.

“Actually….I need to get back to my dorm…I’ll…tell Cheol I’ll message him later” Jihoon says numbly.

“Okay….are you alright?” Mingyu asks, propping his feet on the coffee table.

“Yeah……..fine” Jihoon says, plastering a smile on his face as he leaves.

…………………………………

They don’t talk for the rest of the weekend, except for a few messages in their shared Whatssapp group buzzing back and forth, It’s mostly a communication between the others to determine where the hell the remote was lost during the party- because they’re stuck watching the news channel without it.

All throughout the weekend he finds his hand drifting to the charm bracelet around his wrist, fingertips pressing the charms into his skin just hard enough to make it hurt. Then he remembers the words Seungcheol murmured into his cheek, and forcibly tells himself to stop thinking about it. But he's distracted all weekend long -- namely, by thoughts of Seungcheol.

Jihoon is so desperate to speak with him, but with each passing minute, each hour, he feels the topic is even more difficult to approach than before. When Monday rolls by he’s almost relieved to have another workload on his desk, another task to busy himself with. Anything to tear his brain away from the memories he keeps replaying.

“Earth to Jihoon!” Joshua says, waving a hand in front of his face, startling him out of his thoughts.

“Uh…sorry….what? What were you saying? I was distracted” Jihoon admits, shaking his head.

“I was asking you if you had a chance to check the notice board….Professor Tam has posted the Music History presentation pairs up on Friday. Do you know who you are working with?” Joshua asked.

“Oh….I haven’t checked it yet. We can check it now I guess?” he says, gesturing to the crowd assembling around the board outside the lecture hall. “Who are you working with?”

“Ugh…that girl who blows her nose constantly throughout class….the one with the red hair…she better quit that before the presentation…..or I will be doing it all myself!” Joshua whines.

Jihoon, waits for the crowd to disperse slightly before looking over a girls shoulder to find his name on the list. He finds his name and traces across the line to find his partners.

**MUSIC HISTORY PRESENTATION GROUPS**

**LEE JIHOON AND**

The bottom drops out of Jihoon's stomach. “What -- why, I don't--” Jihoon’s brain is reeling. He squeezes his eyes shut. “My presentation ...”

He checks again, shoving past the girl in front of him to get a closer look. “I can’t believe this shit, I can’t be in the same group as him…I just can’t. I need to swap….” He says desperately looking over at Joshua who comes to stand next to him.

“Why….who are you working with?.....Jin Young? Who’s he?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is brought yo you by  
> 1) The Love word.....lol. I don't know if people feel the same about me but...I just don't throw it about. Apart from really close friends and my family....I don't really tell people I love them. I'm saving it!  
> 2) Kinky Jihoon....topping from the bottom. I know some people want a top Jihoon but I am working on another story for that.  
> 3) Hoshi getting picked on by everybody....in One Fine Day they really enjoy when he loses that bean toss game and has to do the dishes! XD  
> Anyway. Hope you enjoy!


	20. Beta-Tau-Sigma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A proposition and consequences.

It's been months since he last saw Jin-Young and that has been a blessing. For a terrifying moment, he had actually thought that Seungcheol had made good on his threat and killed the guy or bashed his brain in senseless, but Jihoon had hidden that wooden baseball bat given the first opportunity, then he spotted Jin-Young a few rows ahead in his music history lecture sometime later. He breathed a sigh of relief, even though he reviled the guy, he hated the idea of Seungcheol getting in trouble over cracking his skull in, even more. If Jihoon had have not stopped Seungcheol that night, things might have turned out very differently.

Now when he sees the Jin-Young’s name, written next to his on the board, he feels uneasy. He doesn’t want to be in the same presentation group, there is no point trying to work amicably with him, the thought of spending anytime with him in close quarters, frankly, makes Jihoon a little queasy. Whenever Jihoon sees him now, he thinks about how horrible their last encounter was, the memory makes him frown involuntarily. It still rankles at him, after all these months how weak he felt being manhandled like that.

“Maybe if you ask the professor…nicely…he will swap you into another group” Joshua suggested, walking alongside Jihoon to the lecture theatre, where hopefully, Professor Tam will be available to discuss this recent pairing disaster.

Jihoon looks through the glass panel of the door, catches sight of Professor Tam and knocks lightly on the lecture theatre door.

“Come in” they hear him yell, and he gives an indistinct wave with the hand that isn’t tinkering with his laptop. Jihoon shares a quick grim glance with Joshua before pulling the door open and walking in. The teacher doesn’t show any indication he’s even heard him walk in so Jihoon clears his throat to get his attention, then wilts slightly under the eyebrow the professor raises at him.

“Sorry to interrupt you Sir” Jihoon begins by saying.

“You should be” Professor Tam answers, he says it so matter-of-factly that Jihoon can’t tell if it’s a joke or an actual opinion. “If this is about essay grades, you can take it up with the head of the department, the marking profile was designed by him and if you’re offended by a comment I made in the lecture, that too can be taken up with the head of the department --because I don’t give a damn. If it’s about something else…. _make it quick!_ I have another class in 5 minutes, but for the meantime…I am all ears.” he speaks; tone curious, though his eyes are narrowed.

“Sorry,” Jihoon mutters. “It’s actually about the pairs you assigned us into for the music history presentation. I …would like to swap please” Jihoon requests politely.

“No, it took me quite some time to arrange those pairs and unless you have an extremely defensible reason, you will remain in the pair I assigned you” This is the point, Jihoon knows, where he could just make a flippant remark and leave, then he remembers how awful those few minutes in Jin-Young’s lecherous company were and how long this assignment was going to last.

“I **_can’t_** be in a pair with Jin-Young” Jihoon says, immediately falling on the defensive. Flustered and exasperated “I **can’t** work with him…I **don’t** want to work with him, I **don’t** want to be anywhere near him--” he spits avidly.

Professor Tam heaves a disconcertingly adolescent sigh and mutters “Did he make little of your height? That’s to be expected Jihoon” he says, scathing.

Jihoon blinks, obviously, this man thinks it’s some kind of joke. “He didn’t make fun of my height” Jihoon shouts, instantly destroying any chance of this conversation continuing professionally. The professor looks surprised to be screeched at but Jihoon rages on, because he needs to be taken seriously, because he already feels tired and angry and sore and upset and _now this_. “He’s a creep and shouldn’t be allowed to work with anyone remotely human!”

The professor curls his lip in mirth and stares at Jihoon evenly. “Creep? Would you care to _elaborate_ on that?”

_Because he molested me_

Jihoon tries to convey this as best he can without actually saying so “He’s inappropriate…horrific and I just want to swap teams…there are plenty of people I can work with, anyone but him” Jihoon replies, immediate and obdurate.

Professor Tam doesn’t seem satisfied with this response. “If you can’t justify the reason, I’m afraid you will have no choice but to work in your assigned pair” he replies coldly.

“Fine….” Jihoon says, and he rubs his arm self-consciously. He's uncomfortably out of his depth, and he doesn't like it. Jihoon squeezes his eyes shut, and then, just when he thinks he can open them again without them stinging he says. “A few months ago…I was at the basketball after party, after their first at home win…and Jin-Young was there. He….started talking to me and.....”

“And?....” The professor prompts him to continue.

When Jihoon has his throat under control again, he sucks in a tight breath, abhorring himself for what's about to come out of his mouth. “He….molested me…he…groped me and forced his tongue down my throat” Jihoon says with a shaky voice, doing his best to look his teacher in the eye for the first time.

Slowly, Professor Tam caps his pen and sets it down. He doesn’t say a thing, remaining silent to the point where Jihoon isn’t sure he’s going to respond at all, then he gets to his feet and fixes Jihoon with a long, cool stare. “If you could expand a little on that statement Mr Lee? Did…anything you say or do prompt this reaction from him?”

The words are like a sucker punch. “What? No…..I didn’t lead him on. He knew I had a boyfriend. He came on to me and when I told him to back off….he pinned me and…touched me by force until…I had to knee him in the balls to get him to stop”

“And this incident…did you report it to the college? Where you drinking at the time?” The professor asked

That, Jihoon thinks, is a very diplomatic way of saying he shouldn’t be regretting drunken encounters. Needled, Jihoon replies, “I know what you’re thinking….that I was drunk, _but I wasn’t_. I didn’t report it to the college at the time because I just wanted to forget! I never thought for a second that I would have to work closely with him.” Jihoon says flustered, voice strained.

He can tell the man is trying to decide whether or not to believe him. Jihoon is fully prepared to be given the brush-off now and it surprises him considerably when the Professor flips open his notepad, makes a note in it and then stands. He ventures a few steps towards him, placing a hand on Jihoon’s shoulder comfortingly.  “Ok, Mr Lee. I will swap your presentation partner, but I will have to report this incident because it violates the Collage code of conduct and is rather serious matter, wouldn’t you agree?”

Jihoon swallows around the knot in his throat and says, “Okay…yes…fine. Report it” He adds, “Thanks,” as an afterthought.

There's a conflicting emotion in Jihoon's chest as he resignedly leaves the office. He isn't sure if it's a heaviness in his heart for not being able to be comforted by Seungcheol over this, or if he actually feels lighter for having somewhat resolved the problem himself.

Joshua had waited for him outside the lecture hall and walked with him back towards the dorms. “At least that’s sorted, you have one less thing to worry about and you can come with me to the mall to help pick up a birthday present for Boo” Joshua said enthusiastically.

“Oh…god, I can’t stomach going shopping right now, Sorry Joshua. I don’t even know if I want to go out tomorrow” Jihoon groused.

“You have to come!” Joshua urges him, lips pressing into a thin line “It’s the one time Seungkwan hasn’t requested to celebrate his birthday in a Karaoke bar….I mean…that’s a celebration in itself!” He joked. “Isn’t Seungcheol going too?”

“Hmm…I hope so” Jihoon replies softly, and he neglects to mention that he has already messaged Seungcheol about their upcoming night out earlier and is yet to receive a reply.

…………………………….

Jihoon’s discussion with his professor had taken its toll on him. He was drained and slinked into his room, exhausted. And for the next hour, he folded into himself and slept—actually slept, rather than pretending to sleep while furtively keeping an eye on his phone.

When the alarm on his phone buzzes, he quickly reaches to silence it as to not disturb his roommate who is working diligently at his desk. Scooting to the edge of his bed he toes his shoes on.

“Seungkwan called for you earlier…but you were sleeping” Henry said, turning in his chair. “He wanted to know if …your boyfriend was going out tomorrow night, he wants a head count” he said, turning back to his computer again.

“Ok…thanks” Jihoon said, he pulled out his phone and studied the last message he sent Seungcheol a bit more, rubbed the back of his head through his sleep-tousled hair. There was still no reply from Seungcheol, 6 hours wasn’t a particularly long time but Seungcheol usually replied within minutes. Then again, before he’d never had his heart stomped on by his boyfriend. Disappointment clenched inside him like an icy fist at the thought.

He didn’t necessarily think Seungcheol was avoiding him, but he was certainly going out of his way to give them time apart, though, Jihoon had cottoned on to that much.

In the space of a few days, Seungcheol had suddenly become the most elusive man in the world. His phone was going straight to voicemail, he was inactive since Friday on the group chatt and thrice, Jihoon had called the house since his confession and on each occasion Seungcheol was nowhere to be found. Either he was bogged down with assignments, basketball practice or was blockading himself in his room with the music on really loud so nobody could get his attention to take the call. It was a bit too much of a coincidence for Jihoon to swallow.

“Is something wrong? You seem…..distracted” Henry said, brow furrowed in concern.

Jihoon just steadfastly stares at the same text message he’s been staring at for the past five minutes. As if suddenly a message from Seungcheol will appear and solve all his worries. “No…just peachy” Jihoon said, imbuing his voice with as much cheerfulness as he could muster.

 

 

………………………….

Jihoon has finally dragged himself out of his dorm for a late lunch meeting with Joshua and Jeonghan in the canteen across campus, during which he picks at his food aimlessly and sighs a lot while his friends practically inhale their food with gusto. He’s not sulking throughout the meal, he’s not darting his eyes across the masses of heads, hoping to notice a familiar face. Nothing like that. He’s just lost his appetite, he explains to them when they point out his untouched, but re-arranged plate of food.

He’s scuffing his heels on the way back to his dorm, hands in his pockets, gaze locked on the ground when a voice calls out to him. “Lee Jihoon!” he turns around to find, none other than Jin-Fucking-Young approaching him with a scowl on his face.

He froze in place, watching the taller boy cross the road and stalk forward, Jin-Young was staring daggers at him. For a fleeting moment he hoped a car would come over and knock him down before he made it to Jihoon’s side of the road. Then again, luck hadn’t been on his side all week and probably wasn’t about to change now.

“You think you’re so fucking clever!” Jin-Young spits, evidently interpreting Jihoon's silence as a challenge.

Jihoon’s throat felt like sandpaper, but he didn’t hesitate “I don’t want to talk to you…leave me alone” he manages, turning away..

Jin-Young catches him by the arm before he can escape and shakes his head impatiently. “Oh-no…you’re not getting off that easy. You got me in trouble **you little shit** —”

He tries to pull out of Jin-Young’s' grip, but the larger boy tugs him back a step. “LET GO YOU CREEP!” he snarls under his breath, already twisting out of his grip in order to turn and kick him in the shin. Jin-Young caught him by the shoulder “I swear I will--”

He is jerked to a dazed halt as Jin-Young yanks his arm painfully and grabs him by the collar. “What the fuck are you playing at huh?” Jin young said, leaning down menacingly to look him in the eyes. “You told the professor that I sexually assaulted you?”

“Yes I did….because **you did** -get off me!” he hissed.

“I was drunk!” He spat, bits of salvia frothing from his mouth like a rabid dog.

Jihoon digs his fingers into the hand on his arm, trying to peel them off “That’s not a good enough excuse you jerk, I told you to get off and stop and you didn’t. Just because you’re drunk--- it--- doesn’t--- mean--- its--- ok.” He stuttered as the clasp on his arm tightened excruciatingly.

“Now I have been cautioned! The dean wants me to speak to a counsellor and I have to work alone on the presentation. Isn’t it enough that your dumb boyfriend got me kicked off the basketball team?!” he seethed.

“What…. _he did?....”_ Jihoon considered that for a moment because he was completely oblivious, his gaze fixated on the hand encircling his arm and his mouth opened and closed as if he can’t find the proper words to fill it.  Then he shook his head and spat out “GOOD!. Consider yourself lucky because I had to stop Cheol from doing **_much worse_** to you when he found out. Hope this teaches you to never get handsy with anyone again you creep!” Jihoon shouts, trying to wrench himself free of the painful grasp.

“HEY!” A voice rang out, Jihoon snapped his head to the side to see Hoshi and Jun standing on the opposite side of the road. “LET HIM GO YOU DICK!” Jun yelled out, looking balefully at Jin-Young, who released Jihoon’s arm with a shove back, pointed at him with a finger and said “This isn’t over!” turning his back on Jihoon and jogging off before Jun and Hoshi could cross the road and reach them.

“Who the fuck was that?” Hoshi said, narrowing his gaze at the retreating figure in the distance.

Jihoon tasted bile in his throat and stubbornly swallowed against it. “Jin-Young….he’s a dick who felt me up at a party a few months ago….Seungcheol got him kicked off the basketball team and….I complained about him to my professor so he’s pissed off about getting a caution”

“Well….you should complain about him again….or…tell Seungcheol, he’ll wipe the floor with him” Jun advised.

Jihoon massages his injured arm, and blinks away the tears in his eyes. He’s aware how disturbingly close to crying he is. “Yeah….I will…is…is Seungcheol….is he coming out tonight?” Jihoon asked, hiccupping.

……………………………..

That night, Seungcheol doesn’t come out with them to celebrate Seungkwan’s birthday, he’s got an assignment to contend with, _apparently_. Jihoon wants to believe it, but Mingyu seems sheepish when he gives his excuses.

The apprehension that had taken root in Jihoon’s stomach earlier flared into full bloom. Seungcheol is definitely avoiding him. He’s not sure which hurts worse; the emptiness in his chest or the emptiness at his side. He wants to resolve the whole thing, if he could just get some one on one time with Seungcheol, explains things, it will seem clearer and Seungcheol will realise his reaction was not rejection, just caution.

When they arrive at the bar, it’s heaving and the music is so loud he can only nod and smile when Mingyu asks him how he is feeling. Seungkwan is already making his way to the dancefloor, Vernon awkwardly in tow, but at least he is by his side, Jihoon thinks bitterly as jealousy clawed at him. He orders a drink and doesn’t even have the energy to repeat his order when the bartender quirks his brow and asks for ID. He slides into a booth next to Joshua and Jeonghan and sulks in a decidedly adult manner for the rest of the night.

Seungkwan is outright drunk by 11pm, the light weight that he is, and they all peel into a taxi bus back to campus. “Noo….I wanna party….come on….let’s keep this party going!” Seungkwan whined, leaning heavily on Vernon as the taxi lurched.

“We can party back at the house….but the club cut you off….and I don’t think anywhere else will let you in, in your state” Vernon consoled him, trying to buckle his seatbelt for him and scowling when it failed to cooperate.

Mingyu leaned forward to give the driver the address to the house. “One stop please..greek row-“

“ **No** ….two stops. Just leave me off at the campus please” Jihoon interrupted. “I have a headache….wanna go to sleep” he lied instantly, without quite knowing why. The idea of crossing paths with Seungcheol when he felt this fragile made his heart lurch.

“Okay…..” Mingyu acknowledged his request, watching the vulnerable dip of Jihoon’s throat as he swallowed. “I hope you feel better soon” he added, patting Jihoon on the back softly.

If Mingyu noticed something was amiss between him and Seungcheol—of course he noticed, Jihoon had learned there was precious little Mingyu _didn’t_ notice—he was kind enough to pretend he hadn’t. Maybe Seungcheol had confided in him, maybe Mingyu thinks that Jihoon was a heartless bastard too.

……………………….

***ELSEWHERE OFF CAMPUS***

“It feels like we’re going in circles guys….. ** _please_** , remind me why you can’t share a room with Jimin?” Namjoon asks, scrubbing his face with his hands. They really have been going in circles, no amount of reasoning or bargaining has resolved the issue occupying their senior fraternity meeting tonight.

“I told you…He makes too much noise! His breathing alone is louder than my voice!” Yoongi argues, his fingertips pressing so hard into the arms of his chair, they go white with tension “If he has to share a room with anyone… why can’t it be with Jin?” he adds more calmly.

“Because, I’m the oldest…and I get a room _to myself.”_ Jin said pointedly, his smirk is merciless and leveled directly at Yoongi.

“And I’m the second oldest!” Yoongi countered, not missing a beat.

Namjoon wants to beat them both over the head with a cushion at this point, he swallows hard and gives himself a mental shake, a quick reminder that he’s the responsible one here. Or at least he’s supposed to be. “It will only be for a few weeks, while the window gets fixed Yoongi--you can’t very well expect him to sleep in a room with smashed windows…he’ll _freeze_ to death!” Namjoon rationalized.

Yoongi’s face verges on pitying, only for a second, before he shakes his head resolute “Actually, yes-I do. It’s his fault the windows got smashed in the first place. He shouldn’t have stored those fireworks in his room and he _definitely_ shouldn’t have tried lighting one when he was drunk” Yoongi argued.

“I think it was Tae-Tae who lit it….Jimin was asleep at the time. I think they were pranking each other” Jin clarified unhelpfully.

“Still …not my problem” Yoongi said, leaning back in his chair.

“Hey-guys….there’s someone at the door. He’s asking to speak to the chapter president…..he’s kinda weird….should I let him in?” Jimin asked from the doorway.

“Why don’t you throw some lit firecrackers at him Jimin….since you seem to enjoy dong that so much recently” Yoongi suggested sharply, and Jimin just blinks at him as if he has no clue he’s the subject of their meeting and is playing with fire just by showing his face.

“What’s his name?” Namjoon asked.

“That’s the thing…he won’t say…and he’s wearing a face mask” Jimin explained.

“Okay……..let him in I guess” Namjoon hears himself say, although he has a distinctly bad feeling about all this.

When the stranger appeared in the doorway, the senior members sat up and surveyed him without a word and hesitated at the oddness of his appearance. He’s dressed rather uniquely and wearing a face mask over his nose and mouth, shielding most of his features in some sort of odd disguise. “Good evening gentleman” The masked stranger greeted formally, sounding like he’s about to conduct a business transaction.

Jin twists around to stare at him, looking rather unimpressed and Yoongi cranes his neck enough to look him up and down. “And who- **the fuck** -are you meant to be?” Yoongi says, acerbic as always.

“Uhh…Hi. Welcome to the Beta-Tau-Sigma fraternity” Namjoon greets amiably, the stranger gives him the heebie-jeebies, but now that they have let him in to their home, they’re going to have to talk, that much is unavoidable. The least he can do is remember his manners “I’m Namjoon, the chapter president. If you’re looking to join, you’re 5 months too late. Maybe you can try rushing for us..next year” Namjoon said, eyeing the masked man warily.

“I’m not looking to join….I’m here on business. I have a proposition for you” He offered, a certain steeliness underlying the words although his voice is subdued and refined.

“What’s with…your…get up…it looks a little…” Yoongi trails off, frowning, and makes an all-encompassing sort of gesture at the strangers current ensemble.

“What? My outfit? It’s called fashion…. _look it up_ ” The masked man snapped witheringly before a veil of stoicism slides back over his eyes within moments. It was the most ludicrous suggestion Yoongi has heard all week and he couldn’t even stop snorting long enough to say so.

“I don’t trust people who hide their faces and won’t give us their name” Jin said, tone cutting, but the stranger doesn't flinch. He simply stares straight at them with an analytical squint. 

The masked man crossed his arms and stood stiffly at the foot of the coffee table “Who I am is not important. What is important is what I can offer you. I know who you guys are. And I know we have a common enemy.” He said.

Namjoon regarded him, a critical look in his eyes, he had a gut feeling this wasn’t the first time the man had had this conversation, he seemed so _rehearsed_ “Oh really? Enlighten us?”

“Choi Seungcheol”

They share some glances around the table, eyeing each other before Namjoon speaks up “What about him?”

“You guys want to get back at him correct? You’re in rival fraternities, you compete? pull pranks? Well…I have just the thing you could use to…disable him? Shall we say.” To the untrained ear, he sounded droll, but Namjoon knew a threat when he heard one.

Namjoon could feel his brows ticking upward. “Disable him?.....if you’re suggesting that _figuratively_ …you can fuck off…despite what you might think, we keep it clean” Namjoon interjected.

“It’s just a turn of phrase, my plan doesn’t involve approaching him at all….it involves somebody else I have had dealings with, personally” The masked man explained, but he looks guarded, as if he’s trying to gauge whether he’s said too much.

If Namjoon had found any of this at all interesting, he wasn’t letting on. He was still watching the stranger, lines creasing his brow. “Who?”

“His Achilles heel” It’s a mouthful to say, but it rolls off his tongue so easily that Namjoon is sure he’s rehearsed this before, or maybe they’re not even the first frat he’s approached.

Without ceremony, Namjoon rolls his eye, smiles wanly and gestures to the empty seat across from him “Alright…..we’re listening”

……………………….

Jihoon slips quietly back into his dorm room, Henry is, _thankfully_ , away out with friends so he doesn’t have to try and be sociable when all he wants to do is curl into a ball and cry. Ideally, he’d like to curl against Seungcheol’s chest and cry, he just wants to try and call him again, but can't seem to find the energy so he just reluctantly slumps into bed and sleeps.

He spends the better portion of the next morning, frowning over articles for his assignment, or pretending to at least, but really stealing too many glances at his phone to actually be productive. The phone is lying inches away on the edge of his bed, beckoning him. He tosses it across the room in a petulant huff. When he eventually admits to himself that he isn’t likely to learn anything else  today, other than how to give himself a migraine out of sheer frustration, he flips his laptop open and watches a series of song covers on YouTube in a soporific daze.

He's wrapped up in a blanket on the bed in the early afternoon, actually drifting off, when his ringing phone jars him awake. He scrambles out of bed, picks it up off the floor and answers it automatically, thinking confusedly that it might be Seungcheol.

There's a brief silence, a soft crackle, and then:

_“_ _Jihoonie_ _?”_

Jihoon listens carefully, recognizing the voice now that he is fully awake. _“_ _Soonmi_ _?”_

“Hi,” his sister says. “Did I wake you? You sound kind of ...”

“No, I was already up…uhmm... How are you?” Jihoon asks, wracking his brains to try and remember the last time they spoke and what they spoke of.

“Brilliant, spent all weekend elbow deep in a cow’s butt, but that’s what you get for studying agricultural sciences. So…uhmm….how was your New Year?” She asked.

“Yeah, it was….good, awesome. Had an amazing time at the cabin. Wish I could go back” he reflected fondly, back to when he hadn’t fucked things up yet, back to when Seungcheol still wanted to spend time with him.

“Oh good, Well I missed you the minute you left. My new year’s wasn’t so exciting just went out with a few friends—“ She rattles on long enough for Jihoon to actually start feeling something like a sense of ease, and then she interrupts herself midsentence to laugh drolly. “Sorry, you didn’t ask for the story of my life. I actually called to see how things were with you and…..you’re _super hot_ boyfriend. I still feel really bad about not believing you. It took me like…a week to recover from the shock ” she giggled.

“Uh…yeah…it’s fine. But please…don’t stop on my account,” Jihoon assures her. “I like hearing your stories” He pauses, stares at the blank wall ahead of him, and then bites the bullet. “Seungcheol is great….I’m great….we’re great” he adds wincing at how frantic he sounds to his own ears.

“Are you ok?” Soonmi says instantly, and there’s a softness to her tone Jihoon is used to hearing and he hates when it’s directed at him.

Jihoon draws in one of his knees and goes slumping further into the bed. “Yeah I’m fine, just tired I guess, the work load this term is …intense” His voice is so hoarse and low with emotion.

Jihoon's pretty sure Soonmi knows something is wrong, but she doesn't pry. Mostly they just reminisce, about a childhood that's nothing but a blur to Jihoon now, memories Soonmi cherishes of when he was a baby and Jihoon doesn't even remember, but suddenly wishes he did.

When she hangs up, wishing him and his _‘gorgeous boyfriend-hold on to him for dear life’_ goodnight he wants to smash his phone repeatedly into the wall but he manages to refrain.

………………………………..

Seungcheol fiddled with a pen, twirling it between his fingers. It was late at night in the library and Seungcheol would really like to just go home. He’s done all the work he can, he’s up to date with all his assignments, he’s even made a head start on his end of year project. He _could_ go home, it’s not like he’s chained to fucking desk or anything but then-- he _might_ have to face Jihoon. And he can’t do that right now, cause he’s a big fucking chicken. _Cluck-Cluck-Cluck._

The situation was a simple one: Seungcheol may or may not have botched up his relationship by announcing his undying love for Jihoon, a little earlier than the younger boy was ready to hear it. So now he needed to kill some time and stay someplace he wasn’t likely to be found, until he grew his nut sack back. Seungcheol can’t force himself into feeling even slightly guilty for saying the word. He regrets saying it in the middle of sex- that might have resulted in Jihoon thinking it was a spur of the moment declaration, he regrets being a shitty boyfriend who dodges Jihoon’s calls and messages, but he doesn’t regret saying the word itself.

 

Usually the see each other every day, and if something prevents that, they at least talk over the phone. By contrast, his dealings with Jihoon over the last couple days have been limited to text messages in group chats and painfully unanswered texts still sitting on his phone. When their incommunicado stretched from hours to days, the thought of seeing the younger boy filled him with dread to the point he feels so tired and frustrated, he’s afraid he might do something crazy and self-destructive and risky when he sees him next, like burst into tears or get down on one knee out of sheer desperation.

So here he is, in the library, well past his limits of comfort, essentially-chickening out. First, he avoided replying to Jihoon’s message about Seungkwan’s birthday, then when Mingyu had pressed the issue of the night out, he’d made up some lame excuse about deadlines, trying to sound like the epitome of calmness when he spoke and not at all like he was reeling from heart ache.

He could tell Mingyu was giving him the inquisitive _‘You’re so full of shit’_ look when he excused himself from the celebration, but he must have sensed Seungcheol’s rising discomfort otherwise he probably would have called him out on it.

He’s spent the last hour with his headphones on, music playing moderately loud and his workbook opened on the exact same page, drumming the desk absently when he felt a hand tap his shoulder. Seungcheol whips his headphones off like they’re on fire, bolts upright in his seat and looks up at the familiar figure standing at his desk

_What the fuck_

“Hey Cheol……” Namjoon greets him with a wave, pulling out the adjacent chair.

“ _Well…well..well_ …Look who we have-” Seungcheol starts sarcastically, as the other boy takes the seat next to him, but Namjoon cuts him off hastily by swatting the back of his head

“Cut it out….Do you see anyone else around here Cheol? **No** …we’re alone, so can we drop the fraternity rival charade for a sec please?…I just want to talk” Namjoon says. He was expecting this conversation of theirs to be at least half fight, which was not his personal preference when it came to Choi Seungcheol, so he hoped he could keep the chatter light and airy, with no mentions of rival fraternities in any case.

A brief, wry smile crosses Seungcheol’s face and he quirks a brow at Namjoon “Ok then….I was just, ya know…. Keeping up appearances and all”

“Yeah I get it, loyalties, traditions and shit.…anyway…How are you?” Namjoon inquires conversationally.

Seungcheol shrugged “Yeah I’m _good-ish_ ….yourself?” he says, trying to sound casual instead of stunned.

“Can’t complain, Christmas was nice, really needed a break. Just back two weeks and I’m dying from the workload already! Final year huh! So….you played well last semester, you really owned the court” Namjoon commended, despite the rivalry that distanced them, they both admired and resented each other’s successes on principle.

Seungcheol pulled a face that knocked about ten years off his age “Yeah, thanks….I’m awesome, _I know”_ he replied confidently.

Namjoon knew better than to compliment Seungcheol head on, the guy had an intolerable ego that sucked up praise like a fucking vacuum cleaner. But the little book of Seungcheol-related observations he had stored in a hidden drawer in the back of his mind reminded him that the occasional praise worked better at lowering his guard than trying to reason with him ever did “You can _try_ and play down the ego a little, you know Choi” Namjoon berated lightly.

Seungcheol cracked a smile, a devilish set of dimples flashing out “Yeah… _I could_. But it’s hard when you get complimented all the time and get reminded how great you are _every damn day”_

Namjoon rolls his eyes and laughs, almost irritated and almost charmed. Despite himself, Seungcheol laughs too, rubbing a hand over his face tiredly. Namjoon looks at him sidelong. “Something funny?”

“No, it's just -- _God_ , we work so hard on this…. _rivalry_ routine, I forget sometimes that you guys go to the same college and support us and fundraise for our matches” he says, because he doesn't remember why it was funny, or if it ever was. He's just tired, and borderline delirious because of it.

“Well…rivalry is healthy, in moderation. I remember we were freshers together, we almost rushed for the same frats, I still have that photo of you in your sailor moon costume from rush week….I think it says a lot that I haven’t shared it with anyone in the last three years” Namjoon said pointedly, absently patting him on the knee.

“Oh god….you don’t jerk off to it do you?” Seungcheol asked, grimacing.

Namjoon stiffened with almost palpable horror “What the fuck! _Ew_ _nooo_ ….what is the matter with you!” he hissed, jerking back in his chair. “Seriously…the ego…consider taking it down a level!” He laughed. “Anyway….although it’s always nice catching up….I am here for reasons that are more serious”

“Are you trying to recruit me to your underground rap club again?” Seungcheol said, eyeing him smugly.

Namjoon ducked his head, he was sure he was going to strain his eye balls with the effort it took not to roll them. “Will you shut up…I never tried to recruit you” Namjoon amended helpfully. “I was just saying…’check it out’ sometime! Besides your rapping….you can’t compare it to mine….that would just be unfair for you” he countered.

“Well…exxcccuuuussseee me!” Seungcheol said with an airy tilt of his head “I haven’t been able to focus on my rap because I’m too busy…wiping the floor with-“Seungcheol began to argue before Namjoon interjected again, a hand over his mouth silencing him.

“Like I said,…not here to argue Cheol….just here to talk” He insisted, pulling his hand away again.

Seungcheol coolly arched an eyebrow, waiting. “Alright..alright….shoot” he said.

“Ok. So, yesterday…this guy approached us with a proposition. He was…a little weird” Namjoon said, he gave Seungcheol’s shoulder a squeeze which only served to make him jumpy. Being reassured was usually a predecessor to something especially unpleasant.

 “Weird….how?”

“Well…first of all, he refused to give us his name, he had most of his face hidden behind a face mask, he was dressed weird and spoke… _funny_. Like funny peculiar not funny ha-ha. I know this sounds a little vague and I can’t quite put my finger on it…but we all thought he was weird. Also, he implied that he knew something about you that could damage you and was …orchestrating this…whole plan to personally get to you.” Namjoon explained, reflecting back on his encounter with the stranger.

Once the masked stranger thought they were going to cooperate with him, he went right on talking about his plan, how Beta-Tau-Sigma would participate and what they’d both get out of it. Unwittingly, he fleshed out a complex plot that had obviously been on his mind for months, which sounded completely ludicrous from start to finish that left Namjoon wondering about the man’s mental stability.

Seungcheol lets that sink in, then takes another few seconds to be sure he heard right. “Oh. Ok…..well…whatever it is..I’m sure I can handle it”

“No..you don’t get it. I don’t think he intends to do anything to you, directly….he’s looking to target this guy….” Namjoon clarified, pulling his phone out of his pocket. “He had all these photos…of him on his phone…it was kinda freaky but…I convinced him to send them to me, here check it out”

Namjoon taps on his phone screen, then hands it over. Seungcheol purses his lips but takes a look despite himself. It takes him several seconds to realize he's looking at a picture of himself, with his arm around -- _Jihoon_. Namjoon leans over to swipe the screen over to the next photo, another shot of Jihoon outside the library. He swats Namjoon’s hand away and swipes through the camera reel himself. “What the hell?—What?-- when did I? --” Seungcheol stutters, his voice going brittle as he squints at the photos, and suddenly Namjoon’s words sink in. Then his mind went blank. He tensed, palm pressing flat on the desk.

“There’s…hundreds of them, it’s like..he’s cataloguing photos of this guy” Namjoon asked, watching Seungcheol carefully.

Seungcheol stares at the phone for a long time, Namjoon studies his profile, the slight flaring of his nostrils, the fullness of his lips thinning in displeasure. “Is this guy in the photos…important to you?” he asks curiously, like he can read Seungcheol’s mind and Seungcheol nods his head irritably.

He glances up from where he is frowning at the phone screen “He’s my boyfriend” he says after a minute, when he's relaxed a little, feels less like picking a fight.

Namjoon’s eyebrows go north “Oh…..I didn’t know you were gay” he gaped at him stupidly, distracted by the answer.

Seungcheol looks at him out of the corner of his eye for a moment, then looked away, a response half-forming and reforming in his mind too many times for comfort. “Yeah..I am. You got a problem with it? Are you retracting your underground rap club invitation now?”

“Nooo!” Namjoon says, leaning back and spreading his hands “Two of our fraternity members are gay…I don’t judge dude. I just remember you dating a lot of girls…but hey. Good for you, he’s cute..….kinda small though…how do you fit?” Namjoon blurted out, before he had a chance to think better of it. “You know what… Never mind, don’t answer that” Seungcheol smirks and Namjoon thinks he sees some of the guardedness leave his gaze.

He continues thumbing through the gallery, more pictures flash by, a few of them are taken from a distance, some look like they have been taken from a lecture hall, where the phone has been placed behind an object, obscuring the camera lens partially. All the pictures, however, he notices with a growing dread, are of Jihoon. Seungcheol doesn’t want to imagine somebody following Jihoon around campus, stalking him. And he flushes angrily as he hands the phone back, his palms were already itching for some sort of a weapon to hold.

“So you see…..the lengths he’s gone to research this guy…following him around his everyday life …..it’s a little creepy right? He wanted us to help him with his ‘pet project’ he called it. He started spouting out all these ideas…he sounded… _deluded_. Once I got the photos…we told him to take a hike, cause we don’t play those kinda pranks- but he seemed pretty rattled when we turned him down. Desperate almost….he might try and find some other willing participants. I just thought you should know.”

“Yeah…uhmm ok” Seungcheol says modestly, while thoughts pounded the inside of his skull like tiny fists “Why are you telling me this Joon? This would be the perfect opportunity for you know….payback?” He doesn’t mean to sound as astounded as he does.

Namjoon tilts his head disparagingly “Well….this fraternity shit aside, you know I don’t actually have a problem with you” he says. And he means it, fervently means it. Seungcheol just smiles lopsidedly, like he knows this already, too. “There are always gonna be die hards who take this rival shit to the next level…but, that’s not how I operate. In the whole scheme of things, we go to the same college…we all just want to graduate, when it gets to the stage that we’re endangering each other’s lives to get one up on the other…that’s when I bow out” Namjoon explained.

Seungcheol had an urge to ask him about the fireworks prank they pulled a few months back, slate him for how dangerous it was, but the impulse stilled on his tongue. Instead he nodded his head “That’s a nice outlook Joon, poetic- almost….are you going to turn it into a rap?” Seungcheol teased.

Namjoon looks long-sufferingly at the ceiling. “Ok…so I _may_ have borrowed some words from a rap I wrote recently….it doesn’t make it any less true!” He defended. “I just thought you should know…so you can be on the lookout” he says.

Seungcheol only lowered his eyes. Normally, he would snort or scoff or shrug this off somehow, he’s had his fair share of threats in the past but this one wasn’t just aimed at him. “Sure,” he says “I’ll just be sure to keep an eye on him, keep him close” He hasn't yet considered how he's going to make this happen considering their current imposed distance. Seungcheol regularly has to mentally give himself a slap and remember that Jihoon appreciates his independence and normally doesn’t like to be coddled, but treating him like something precious is one thing Seungcheol’s unreserved about. Especially is he in is any danger.

Namjoon stood, picking up his jacket and wondered whether it’s worth shattering Seungcheol’s focus to tell him goodbye, when Seungcheol twists to look at him. “Joon.” There’s a peculiar look in his eyes, as though he’s planning something whilst preparing to say something else. “Thanks…for the heads up…appreciate it”

Namjoon looked back at him with calm eyes, lips turned up at the corners. “No problem. Just…take care…and don't do anything drastic”

Seungcheol scoffs but nods, that's how a lot of his conversations end when people are trying to give him advice, _don't_ _do anything drastic_ , and it makes Seungcheol want to laugh bitterly to himself because his brain always seems to interpret this as a challenge.

…………………………………..

*Coffee shop on campus in 10. Need to speak to you ASAP-Emergency*

Seungkwan’s succinct message had read. Which could mean anything coming from Seungkwan, it could range from _‘Emergency, I’ve grown a zit the size of a small moon on my forehead’_ to _‘Emergency, I’ve just murdered somebody in a fit of Karaoke induced rage’._

So when Jihoon arrives at the coffee shop, he bumps into Vernon as he is leaving, who gives him a patronizingly slow pat on the shoulder but says nothing, only gestures for Jihoon to go inside. Jihoon places his order first before making his way to the booth that Seungkwan is seated in.

“Oh good, you came, at least I know you’re not avoiding _me too_ ” Seungkwan says dryly, looking just the same as before, suspicious and observant. Jihoon swallows wrong and coughs, then slides nimbly onto the seat across from him, keeping his gaze lowered.

Seungkwan taps his foot on the floor, arms crossed impatiently, like he expects Jihoon to suddenly spill. “OK…so. What’s going on. Have you and Seungcheol broken up or something?

“What! No…no…why are you saying that?” Jihoon rushes to answer. His anxiety kicks into high gear because now this all seems more _real_ , somehow, when somebody else has noticed the shift in their behaviour.

Seungkwan regards him with calculatingly neutral eyes, then startes bullet pointing his reasons on one hand. “Well, you’re both acting weird, he didn’t come to my birthday celebrations, you look like you’re about to burst into tears at any minute, Vernon tells me Seungcheol is walking around like a kicked puppy, and you’re avoiding the frat house like it’s been quarantined for TB” he finishes, holding out his palm in Jihoon’s face.

Sitting with his fingers curled around base of his mug, Jihoon studies the swirls of liquid in his coffee and only shrugs in response. He’s trying hard to seem casual, that much is obvious, but he’s trying even harder to ignore the hurt swelling in his stomach. Under all his composure, Jihoon is still tempted to roll around the floor, crying. “I’m busy with college…ask Joshua we have a shit ton of assignments and the course load is getting heavier by the week and Cheol’s _busy_ ….it’s his final year…ya know”

Seungkwan narrows his eyes and fixes him with a look that might lead to a lecture if they were anywhere but a quiet booth in the campus coffee shop. “Jihoon…look who you are talking to pal. It’s me…Seungkwan… _Boo Seungkwan_ , private detective, I can see right through you. Please…. Don’t insult my intelligence!”

Jihoon sighed, he wasn’t exactly dying to explain himself, but Seungkwan hadn’t made fun of him once since his relationship with Seungcheol grew steady, and there were unsaid words weighing more heavily on his tongue than they rightfully should. “I…. _Oh god_ -I don’t know what’s wrong…technically, nothing. But a part of me is scared that this is…going so fast”

Seungkwan snaps his fingers at his to get his attention “Uhm..hello, that’s what I have been saying from the start….but you seemed to be OK with that before…what’s brought this epiphany on now?

“Our time together in the cabin was..amazing. I mean, perfect.” Jihoon says after a long spell of silence, not opening his eyes. At the moment, dwelling on the past was exponentially more cheerful than dwelling on the future. “Then on New Year’s eve….he almost said something. And I started to think…is this too fast? Then on Friday night, the night of the party..…he used … _the L word_ ” Jihoon finished in a whisper.

If Seungkwan hadn’t already finished his latte, he would probably be wearing it. **_“Lesbians?”_**

“No..you..idiot!…… _love_ … **he** confessed his…love… _for **me**_ ”. Even as he says it, everything replays. Seungcheol hovering above him, flushed and content, peppering him with kisses _‘I love you….I love you….I love you’;_ not holding back and trying to explain himself to Jihoon in spite of his embarrassment. The way Seungcheol had made such an agonized little sound when Jihoon told him _‘Cheol….stop’_. The way he’d looked back at Jihoon, afterward, hurt in his eyes but a smile on his face. Laying it all on the table to Seungkwan now, sent a sour stab of shame into the pit of his stomach.

 

He was prepared for a shocked response; he wasn’t prepared for Seungkwan to scoff and shake his head. **“So?”** Seungkwan’s calmness is so complete it’s almost offensive, really, and it makes Jihoon look foolish by comparison.

“What do you mean… **so**? That’s huge… ** _huge_** Boo. Have you ever told anybody who wasn’t in your direct family you… loved them? Cause I haven’t. And …Seungcheol told me and we’ve known each other like…close to five months now. Don’t you think….that its…ya know…. too soon? ”

Seungkwan’s face wore an expression that was almost unreadable, but Jihoon had spent years trying to catalogue the shades of Seungkwan’s face and was fairly sure he detected a hint of mirth in his eyes. “Jihoonie….are we talking about the same Choi Seungcheol here?

“Uhmm…what?”

“The Seungcheol you’re referring to…is it the same one who kidnapped you?”

“Yes” Jihoon confirmed tilting his head in confusion.

“So he’s the same Choi Seungcheol who found out you were **not** the Beta-Tau-Sigma mascot and kept you around anyway?”

 _“Yeaahh_ ” Jihoon ekes out.

Not dissuaded, Seungkwan kept going “OK…and he’s the same guy who made you sleep in his bed, spooned you, brought you food and coffee to the library and stayed up with you while you finished your assignment?”

“Uhm..yeah”

“The one who…dated you, bought you flowers, dinner, took your butt virginity, gave you a bunch of disgustingly adorable nicknames, calls you every night you are not with him, carries your bag everywhere for you, is ready to knock out the first person who gives you a strange look, has a picture if you sleeping on his phone, buys you thoughtful gifts and lavishes you with attention every minute you are in his presence?”

Jihoon looks at him seriously, almost shy “What are you getting at Boo?”

Seungkwan smiles at him fondly “You’re an idiot Jihoonie if you think that he does **_all that_** and just… _likes you_. Vernon likes me…he’s hasn’t done any of that stuff for me! Love is just a word Jihoonie, it means nothing if you throw it around, it’s the actions behind it. That’s what carries it, that’s what makes it real. You think he’s using the word too soon but he’s been demonstrating his love for you for a long time”

Jihoon’s face goes slack, guiltily he shifts his gaze to the ground and murmurs “Shit……What am I going to do? He’s….going to break up with me isn’t he?” he sobs, lashes dropping, excruciatingly fragile.

He can hear Seungkwan rolling his eyes at him—he doesn't know how one can hear an eye roll, exactly, but Seungkwan has perfected the gesture so well, he can turn his eye rolls into a multisensory thing.“Don’t be silly…he’s not going to break up with you- _he loves you_. Do you not feel the same way? Can you not imagine yourself feeling the same way down the line or are you just in it for his hot bod and the really fucking loud sex?” Seungkwan said.

“It’s not just the sex…I’m afraid--” But he stops himself there because there’s nothing else to be said. _I’m afraid_ pretty much covers it.

“Ok….so you’re afraid…but….how do you feel about him? Do you like him or do you-” Seungkwan coaxes gently.

“I… love him” Jihoon murmurs and can’t deny it, not when the ache in his chest speaks more loudly than anything. The words he’s been trying to lock away, fought their way to the forefront of his mind

“THEN FUCKING GO TELL HIM THAT YOU IDIOT- God! Why do I have to do everything around here!” Seungkwan heaved a sigh of relief, slumping back in his chair.

“Oh..shit…I need to tell him!” Jihoon echoed, slamming the door on the stupid part of his brain still trying to tell him to take it slow. Jihoon tripped out of his seat, coffee sloshing as the table tilted. He stood up and in three strides, he’s crossed the space between the booth and the door and bolted out.

Seungkwan was still starring that the spot he recently vacated, blinking in surprise, as if by magic Jihoon will re-appear again if he blinks hard enough. “Wait… Jihoonie….we haven’t paid for the coffee…oh fuck!” Seungkwan shouted after him, running up to the register and slamming down a wad of bills.

……………………….

Jihoon sprints across the path and down the road towards Greek Row, Seungkwan tailing slothfully behind him. He knows what he’s feeling is the jarring sensation of having his emotions finally righted. He’s ready to tell Seungcheol he loves him, admit he’s handled this whole confession all wrong, that’s he afraid but he’s ready to make that leap with him.

“Jihoo-nie…wait up….c’mon buddy……can’t keep up with you…. _ow..ow..ow_..I’ve got a cramp in my side… _ow…ow_ …shouldn’t have had that extra large pizza for lunch… _ow..ow_ ” Seungkwan puffs behind him.

“Jihoon” A familiar voice rang out from behind him.

Against his better judgement, Jihoon paused to catch his breath and turned around, expecting to find Seungkwan catching up with him. Instead there was a masked man standing on the pavement, next to a black van. How did he miss that?

Jihoon was doubled over, breathing heavily from exertion, he looked up again briefly and whoever the stranger was, he stepped closer.

“Huh?-Can I help yo-“  Jihoon was rudely interrupted by an arm encircling his neck.

It happened so suddenly, a flash and then the weight of a rag pressed against his mouth made his heart momentarily speed up, a noxious smell assaulted his nostrils, but the pressure on his neck prevented him from pulling back and away. He muffled screams into the cloth, kicking and flailing, trying to hit him even as his vision began to waver, black dots dancing in front of his eyes. A fuzziness bordered his senses before he abruptly lost consciousness.

“HEY!” Seungkwan yelled out, a block away but close enough to watch the horror unfold, seeing Jihoon’s body go lifeless in a strange man’s arms “WHAT ARE YOU-!” He shrieked out, eyes saucering in his sockets as the man dragged Jihoon over to the back of the parked van swiftly.

Seungkwan burst forward, crossing the road with a surge of adrenaline towards the vehicle as the man slumped Jihoon’s body in the back and slammed the doors shut. He made it just as the man started the engine. Seungkwan was desperately trying to pull on the door handle with no success, he only had seconds to glance at the masked stranger through the window. Seeing the man up close for the first time, unfortunately, wasn't helpful. He was dressed entirely in black with a matching black mask covering his nose and mouth; his attire gave Seungkwan no idea of what he looked like, but there was something _familiar_ about his eyes.

Seungkwan pounded heavily on the window “LET HIM GO!” before the van peeled away from the curb. Seungkwan chased it on numb legs as far as he could, beating on the side of the vehicle as his heartbeat thundered between his ears, screaming for help. But the van accelerated ahead.

Seungkwan tripped and fell forward onto his hands and knees, the air knocked out of his lungs. As he struggled to catch his breath, he looked up, watching the van swerve dangerously around the corner of the block and out of sight.

“Oh- fuck”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is brought to you by  
> 1) More angst...sorry. But I'm heading in the right direction at least.  
> 2)Anyone who noticed Beta-Tau-Sigma was going to be BTS....I mean c'mon. It was that or EXO, but that was waaay longer to type fully! XD  
> 3) Beta-Tau-Sigma not being the antagonist because....well I love them too. If I wasn't so obsessed with Jicheol....YOONMIN  
> Hope you enjoy reading :)


	21. BOLO

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jihoon is missing, time to kick some ass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohhhhhhhh

 

**_*Scoops:_ ** _Hey little knife? You free? Need to speak to u x_

Seungcheol pressed send on his phone.

Earlier, he had tried calling Jihoon a couple of times, but it went through to voicemail once and then- either Jihoon had turned off his phone or was ignoring him on purpose. Any other day he might take a hint and give him some space, but he was resolute on solving their ‘issue’ today. Seungcheol pocketed his phone and pulled his jacket on, pulling open the front door of the fraternity house.

Mingyu’s voice held him back at the entrance “Hyung…you heading out” Mingyu’s inflection didn’t indicate he was asking a question, but Seungcheol hovered at the door and answered anyway. “Yeah..I’m going… to sort something out”

“You wanna grab some more toilet roll’s, milk and bread on the way back” Mingyu shouted out to him from the kitchen. Again, not really a question, but cleverly posed as one, giving Seungcheol the illusion he had a choice.

“Yeah…alright” Seungcheol sighed, pulling the door behind him. He skipped down the steps and across the lawn, almost bumping into Vernon by accident, he was so fixated on his phone, awaiting a response from Jihoon.

“Hey…Where are you going Hyung?” Vernon asked, deliberately blocking his path and then shuffling to stay in his way, preventing him from crossing easily.

“Hmm…do you mind Vernon? You’re in my way and I wanna go see Jihoonie” Seungcheol said, eyeing him peculiarly.

“Oh…well….He’s at the campus coffee shop with Seungkwan…I just left them there” Vernon explained. “They said they would come over after-so why don’t you just….stay… _wait_ …” Vernon paused, looking out onto the horizon. "I think that's them there....."

Vernon frowns, Seungkwan is alone, which is concerning, because he had expected Jihoon to come back with him. Maybe Jihoon needs to go somewhere to think over things for few hours or whatever. If that's the case, why is Seungkwan running and why does it look like he’s afraid?

“CHEOOL-----I NEED YOOOOOOOUUU” Seungkwan shouted in the distance, arms flailing as he ran.

Both boys were taken aback, Vernon recovered first “ ** _O-kay_** …Listen-Hyung….you already have a boyfriend….please don’t take Seungkwan away from me” Vernon said, turning to speak to the older male as Seungkwan continued to wail for him _“Cheeeooolllllll!”_

_.........................._

Seungkwan who had ran the last 7 blocks on pure adrenaline, slid to a stop in front of the two boys on the pavement and collapsed on his hands and knees, shivering and coughing and gasping with the rush of air in and out of his lungs.

Seungcheol turned his nose up at him “You know…if you’re going to take up running, you should start jogging first, hell even try speed walking. Your stride and technique is _all wrong_ ” Seungcheol berated lightheartedly.

Seungkwan shoots him a prickly look, nostrils flared “Sh-shut……..up……Ji----hoon….uhh”

“Ok…well, good luck with that Vernon….I’ll be off-“ Seungcheol said trying to bypass Seungkwan’s slumped figure on the side walk.

“NO!” Seungkwan grabbed on to his pants leg as he tried to by-pass him.

“Seungkwan…whatever it is….can it wait? I need to speak to Jihoonie urgently” Seungcheol whined, trying to shake him off.

“LISTEN…..Cheol-Jihoon—has---been---kidnapped” Seungkwan fell silent, except for his laboured breathing, looking at Seungcheol with a shuttered expression that could have been hiding any emotion.

Seungcheol and Vernon exchanged amused glances, because, where had they heard that before? The both seemed to think that Seungkwan was playing some kind of game.

Seungkwan waited to hear the concerned anger, but when he looked up, Seungcheol's face was twisted in mild delight. Seungcheol stood for a moment, waiting for the punchline, waiting to hear it was some kind of joke. Seungcheol laughed the kind of laugh that grated painfully at the back of his throat. “You’re kidding right…?” he asked. Seungcheol waits a few seconds for Seungkwan to admit he’s joking, but either his comic timing is particularly awful today or he’s -- _serious._

Seungkwan blinked up at the older boy, If Seungcheol had found any of this at all alarming, he wasn’t letting on. He was still gazing at Seungkwan, lines creasing his brow a small smile threatening the corners of his lips “Please….tell me your kidding Boo?” he repeats, but Seungkwan’s lips are pressed into an uncomfortable line and his cheeks are ruddy with emotion.

“ **No** ….I wish it was a joke” Seungkwan drew a shaky breath. “Some guy—in—a mask—took him.” Seungkwan gasped, after he had counted out two chilly minutes of silence.

Seungcheol went a little pale, as a hard, resilient ache engulfed him and he reached down, grasping Seungkwan by the collar and heaved him upright “He wore a mask?” he repeated stiffly.

“Y-ye-yess” Seungkwan stuttered “A mask….uhm…a suit…he bundled Jihoon into a black van. Seungkwan noticed that Seungcheol’s eyes darkened almost imperceptibly, and he leaned forward, his grip on the collar a little tighter.

“Seungcheol….Hyung” Vernon said, softly. “Let Seungkwan go….you’re hurting him” he said, trying to pry Seungcheol’s finger’s off the other boys jacket. Seungcheol seemed to realize what he was doing then and loosened his hold on Seungkwan immediately. Apologizing.

Seungkwan nods, his knees buckle just a little bit from exhaustion and he braces himself against Vernon. “We were at the coffee shop, Jihoon wanted to speak to you and he ran ahead of me and I was so far behind ….and there was a black van on the side of the road and -he passed it. This guy got out and called his name. Then grabbed him—“ Seungkwan was talking too fast, tripping over the shape of the words in his mouth, and panicking, and Seungcheol was nearly shaking apart because _Jihoon had been kidnapped_.

Seungcheol’s hands were trembling now, and he stared at them with a sick sense of realisation. “Dammit….this isn’t how it was supposed to go….” Seungcheol clenches his fist, he was hoping to bait Jihoon’s stalker before he had a chance to use Jihoon as bait against him.

 _Jihoon has a stalker_ , Seungcheol reminds himself as his insides, gone jagged with trepidation, seize up. The entire fraternity could very well have under surveillance, Jihoon was in and out of the house almost daily, whoever was watching him, knew him, knew when to strike.

“What did he look like?” Seungcheol said, surprisingly monotone, even though his own head was throbbing from blinding rage and disbelief. “Where did it happen?”

“What’s going on guys……” Mingyu asked from the porch, watching the tense interaction. “Guys?”

……………………………….

Mingyu tugged them inside and called an emergency meeting, all the while looking at Seungcheol like he was a little afraid of him, which Seungcheol found enervating all on its own. Mingyu is calling for calm and for everyone to remain rational in the minutes that follow. But if any of Seungcheol’s unease and impatience broadcasts itself to his face, Mingyu seems not to notice, still trying to organize a hurried assembly.

It only takes a short thirty minutes for everyone to assemble for the meeting, but to Seungcheol it felt like he had spent hours cursing himself, his underestimation of this stalkers capabilities, and the entire universe hell-bent on making him pay for caring about somebody _so_ deeply it rattles him to the core to think of them in danger.

Hoshi runs in last, panting with exertion. “What’s going on?….Got your text-had to miss a very important seminar… but you said it was an emergency-- _So here I am_ ” he croaks, flopping on the couch.

Mingyu counts the heads in the room and gets to his feet. “Ok, listen up….Jihoon has been kidnapped, for real this time.” His eyes look too wide in the near-dark.  The occupants of the room glance at him, then quickly turn their eyes to Seungcheol but Seungcheol is making a point of not looking at anyone.

“ _Shit_ ….Kindnapped….again?” Hoshi said, staring up at Seungcheol in bewilderment. “That guy is just…. ** _too_** kidnappable”

Mingyu’s face goes from slack to tense. “This isn’t a joke Soonyoung!” The use of his real name, makes Hoshi stiffen uncomfortably in his seat. “Seungkwan saw it all, somebody was waiting for Jihoon, drugged him and…sorry Seungkwan do you mind filling everyone in?” Mingyu gestured for him to take center stage.

Seungkwan told his story to the group assembled, explained carefully what had happened with as much detail as he could remember. Seungcheol listened to every word, caught between the feeling of deep anger at who the masked man could be, and the painful undercurrent of knowing Jihoon was missing and being in disbelief over the entire thing. Seungcheol didn’t believe it, though. He couldn’t. He didn’t want to believe that Jihoon was in danger, that had he acted sooner he could have prevented this. He’d have nothing if he didn’t have Jihoon.

He’d just have to find him.

“Who was it though? Oh my god…do you think it was Beta-Tau-sigma…I bet you it was” Hoshi rattled on.

Seungcheol looked across to him incredulously. “Don’t _fucking_ start” He gasped a long shaking breath that would have been a sob if he were some other kind of person. “Someone has taken him …to get back at me” he pointed, almost sounding awed about the furious heat bubbling up under his skin. “This is my fault….I let this happen”

“Cheol-Hyung, this isn’t you fault……don’t even start thinking that or we’ll get nowhere” Wonwoo objected. Seungcheol’s eyes, more black than brown now, snapped to his.

“It **IS** my fault….I knew that somebody was watching him. Namjoon showed me pictures….some guy propositioned him and Beta-Tau-Sigma to help him, the same guy that was following Jihoon around for… _months_ ….. **stalking him**. Those pictures proved that” Seungcheol said softly, like it was a terrible secret. “I knew he was being followed….I should have called him straight away but….I….” The rest of the story is unspoken, but they can all read the ending in the slump of Seungcheol’s shoulders and the frown lines on his face. He doesn't have a word for the resentment that fills him when he thinks about Jihoon- afraid and all alone.

Jun moved to sit next to him on the windowsill “Cheol….we’re gonna find him….don’t do this to yourself. Jihoon needs you to stay strong and think clearly” he murmured, rubbing up and down the length of Seungcheol’s back as if he were gentling an animal. There was a sharp hiss at the rapid intake of breath, Seungcheol’s eyes fluttered closed. His head raised just a tiny bit and there were tears in the corners of his eyes “What if he hurts him….how will I live with myself?”

“No….Cheol!” Hoshi snapped, jumping up from his seat “I’m not an advocator of Violence…. _oh wait…yes I am_ ….anyway, what I’m trying to say is…..we need **_angry Seungcheol_** , angry…kick ass, take names later Cheol….not ‘I’m feeling sorry for myself’ Seungcheol…. _man the fuck up_ , take that baseball bat you own and lets kick some fucking ass and find Jihoon!” He cheered energetically.

“Yeah-Your right Hosh!” Seungcheol agreed, nodding.

Mingyu takes a breath and steadies himself, because "calm" is what he does best and he needs to defuse the situation before it escalates “Uh… **no** … hold on…let’s start thinking rationally for a second you guys…violence isn’t going to help anyone” Mingyu reasoned, trying to pacify the rising murmurs of agreement amongst the group.

“Yes it will… ** _violence solves everything_**!” Hoshi exclaimed. “I’ll go get my interrogation kit and we’ll get this fucking show on the road!” he went to make a dash up the stairs but Mingyu caught his arm.

“Oh dear god--Who are you even going to interrogate!?” Mingyu said in disbelief.

“How about that **dick** than was manhandling Jihoon on Friday?….that guy we saw Hosh….the one who grabbed him and ran away before we crossed the road” Jun reminded.

“Oh yeah!” Hoshi nodded “He was angry with Jihoon because he ratted on him and his got a caution. What was his name….Jin-Young?” He added.

“Excuse me….did you say. Jin-Young?” Seungcheol could not have pronounced the name with more distaste. “ **ARE** you **FUCKING KIDDING ME!”** Seungcheol yelled. Seungcheol shoved himself to his feet, tension in his jaw. “I **knew** I should have battered that little shit the first time….I knew It. **_Arrrrggggghhh_** ” he frothed.

Mingyu eyed him, trying to ignore the seed of unease taking root in his stomach at the mention of Jin-Young’s and Jihoon’s name in the same sentence. “ _Seungcheol_ ….think about what you’re going to do….don’t go into anything with blinding rage… you will just make it worse” Mingyu mollified.

Seungcheol’s head whipped around to face Mingyu. He knows very well what his voice sounds like when he's pissed off and not fucking around. He's seen the intimidation. He is well aware of what he looks and sounds like. But he couldn’t help growing increasingly frustrated by the way everyone was treating him like a rabid dog who just chewed through his leash.

“If Jin-Young has taken Jihoonie we need to find out where- _before_ you smash his face in” Mingyu explained, trying to sound as earnest as possible without tipping Seungcheol’s further into fury, but when he reached to catch hold of his arm, Seungcheol only shook him off. “Seungcheol… we **must** tell the police first….if this isn’t a prank, it’s a _crime_ and they _need_ to act”

Seungcheol cut him a narrow look. “They’re going to want to file reports and waste time….meanwhile anything could be happening to him… **we’ve sat back long enough”** He roared and has to bite his tongue to leave it at that.

Mingyu recoiled, silent. He is seconds away from snapping at Seungcheol, but he holds it together because one of them has to. For a long time, neither of them spoke. There was only the muted chirping of birds from outside, the crackle of the fire place, and the combined breathing of everyone assembled in the room.

“We’ll go to the police station first….we’ll file a report….that doesn’t mean we won’t keep looking. But it’s better that we get the authorities in on this….he’s been kidnapped. We can’t go searching blindly for him on our own and despite what Jun and Hoshi saw…we don’t know that it was Jin-Young…..we’re assuming too much” Mingyu said finally, trying to cut the tension in the room.

Seungcheol was already on his feet, a study in sharp-lined, burning fury. “You **_know_** what he did to him at that party, how **the fuck** am I meant to sit back and wait this out if there is even the slightest possibility it was Jin-Young who kidnapped Jihoon?….If he’s knocked him out0he could do anything to him” Seungcheol highlighted his concerns.

“Jin-Young is stupid but he’s not crazy Seungcheol…I mean….touching somebody up at a party is one thing but kidnapping…..because of a caution… _that’s wild_ I mean-” DK intervened.

Seungcheol silenced him with a look. “Then why was he harassing him?….. **huh?** You heard Jun….he was _manhandling_ him, _threatening_ him” Seungcheol said. His words were steady, but his mind was still reeling as his friends continued spilling out reassurances he had no way of knowing were true. The only things he knew for certain were:

_Jihoon is missing, somebody has taken him, I need to find him._

Seungcheol fucked himself and Jihoon over by not contacting him sooner, he’s admitted as much to himself already. But to know that Jin-Young was harassing him and having to hear it from a third party, drove him up the wall. Seungcheol’s hand yearns to reach for the phantom weight of his baseball bat. The bat that was hidden from him, by Jihoon no less, soon after he threatened to beat Jin-Young’s face in with it. He should have listened to his instincts back then and taken care of Jin-Young. Without any of the history that had stacked up between them and shaped them both into people who despised each other, Jin-Young was _still_ a monumental prick and Seungcheol would have liked to punch him anyway.

Mingyu watches Seungcheol pace the room with bated breath. He doesn’t know the best solution to this problem and suspects perhaps Seungcheol doesn’t either. That’s why he’s still here, contemplating his actions quietly and not running around rampaging. Despite his anger, he’s trying to think clearly, for Jihoon’s sake and Mingyu’s gut clenches in understanding.

“Seungcheol…..we need to report this to the police—no doubt about it” Mingyu tired again.

Seungcheol sighs loudly, he could snap at Mingyu that there is no time to file fucking police reports. But Mingyu isn't snapping at him or challenging him, he’s just trying to remain level headed in a group of hot-heads, and starting a fight now, isn't going to accomplish anything

Mingyu might very well think he’s doing Seungcheol a favor by staying level headed, suggesting they contact the police, **as if** Seungcheol hadn’t thought of that already. It might piss him off if he weren’t so preoccupied. Seungcheol had obviously considered that, but it didn’t change the fact that he’d keep looking for Jihoon himself until he found him. It was terrible to imagine finding Jihoon injured, hurt or god forbid -- _dead_. It was much more terrible to imagine never finding him and the endless, awful things that somebody might be doing to him, so Seungcheol silenced those dismal thoughts and tried to not think about it if he could help it.

Seungcheol walked up the window and leaned his head back against it, closing his eyes and breathing long, calming pulls of air through his nose, “I’ll file a report, but I’m not just going to sit and wait for them to do something about it themselves” he finished, before grabbing his jacket and bolting out the door.

“Seungcheol-wait-damn” Mingyu called after him. Jun and Hoshi, stood perplexed as he passed them, then scrambled to follow suit.

“Shit – Somebody fill me in on who Jin-Young is? And Why he’s our primary suspect and Why Seungcheol hates him so much?” Wonwoo asked, sounding worried.

Mingyu sighed audibly “ He’s some guy who used to be on the basketball team” Mingyu said. “Seungcheol got him kicked off after he felt Jihoon up at a party—he’s probably going to kill him. Oh god….this isn’t good….Seungkwan…Vernon….go to the Beta-Tau-Sigma house….fill them in, we’re gonna need as much info as possible from them about this..’masked guy’ who propositioned them” Mingyu ordered “I’m going to go make sure Seungcheol doesn’t get himself arrested”

Mingyu hesitated, then reached behind the couch and pulled out Seungcheol’s wooden bat, “I’ll take this with me just in case…..ya know….Seungcheol _might_ need it” and then he spun on his heal and ran out the door behind the others.

Vernon and Seungkwan turned to each other “What…so we just go over to the Beta-Tau-Sigma house and….knock on their door and they’re just gonna….help us out?” Vernon grumbled at Mingyu’s retreating back.

“How likely are they to help us?” Seungkwan pondered.

……………………………..

The sky was heavy and gray by the time they reached the police station. Seungcheol stood at the book in desk, drumming his fingers impatiently on the counter top. Mingyu and Wonwoo stood on either side of him chanting a lost-cause mantra of _‘relax, be patient and chill_ ’ while Seungcheol tried not to surge forward, grab the officer on duty by his badge and haul him forward to attend to them with brute force.

At the other side of the counter, the officer on duty, oblivious to the venom directed his way, yawns animatedly, even going as far as the wave a hand in front of his mouth to indicate boredom. Seungcheol’s jaw tightens, and immediately his tongue seeks to betray him. Seungcheol catches Mingyu’s eye and grits his teeth, quietly confirming his irritation but Mingyu gestures for him to remain calm and try again.

“Listen.. ** _officer_** , I know what this sounds like. But I assure you…this is **not a joke**. Somebody has kidnapped my boyfriend” Seungcheol said, hands splayed open on the counter. The man only twitched a disinterested eyebrow at Seungcheol in response.

The police officer studied him for a long moment.  “Hey….Aren’t you the guy who plugged the Beta-Tau-Sigma house with that mascot?……blew out the plumbing on the entire block?” The officer said, staring at Seungcheol over the rim of his coffee cup.

“Uh..yeah. That was me….did you hear what I said though….my boyfriend-“

“Yeah-yeah… _’kidnapped’_ …I heard” The officer interrupted, waving his hand to silence him from his spot, reclined in his chair, feet propped against the desk, watching the whole production in a detached way that makes Seungcheol's throat seize in anger. “Do you know….how many weeks we had to shit in a bucket out the back because your little stunt damaged the pipes in my house?” The officer asked.

Seungcheol blinked, he didn’t even know where to begin responding to that but then his anger bubbled to the surface “I’m sorry about the inconvenience I caused…..but if you don’t start helping me find my boyfriend…. I’ll give you some **real** problems to worry about…. then you’ll be thankful to have that fucking bucket to shit in!” He seethed.

The man sputtered indignantly “HEY…you can’t talk to me like that!” he gasped.

Seungcheol broke away from the group just then. He inclined his head towards the exit, indicating with the tilt of his chin, ‘ _Fuck this shit-let’s go’._ Mingyu sighed and shook his head. “Officer, this is serious….can you put out…a …warning or…a… _’be on the look out for’_ or something….our friend has been kidnapped! We have a witness who saw the whole thing…..shouldn’t you be, I don’t know…writing this down?” Mingyu tried to reason with him.

“We don’t file anything until the person has been declared missing for 24 hours” The officer recited mildly, looking at Mingyu with a gaze far sharper than his voice.

“But he’s not just missing…He’s been kidnapped! We have a witness who saw him get bundled into a van!” Mingyu ranted passionately.

Seungcheol shoved the heels of his hands into his eye sockets. “We don’t have _time_ for this.” The memory of his own words crashed through his mind. _‘I’ll keep him close-keep an eye on him’._ “We tried it your way, now I’m doing it my way!” Seungcheol exploded pushing past Mingyu and Wonwoo and through the exit.

Mingyu sighed and glanced at Wonwoo who inclined his head as if to say, _let him go._ Mingyu insisted on trying once more before, lagging behind as Wonwoo and the others followed Seungcheol out of the station.

Mingyu excuses Seungcheol’s behavior courteously, with apologies for any offence caused. It took a few more fruitless heated words and hand gestures before Mingyu realized that the officer really, truly wasn’t going to help them or take them seriously. He caught up with the others on the outskirts of the campus.

“Fine, you want to do it your way—fine.” Mingyu said, seriously, not fighting at all to make Seungcheol stop, somewhat irritated with how the police officer had handled a serious issue- so lightly “But we don’t know where Jin-Young is….we need to find him, first we find his dorm room, which shouldn’t be that hard…. then get his room mate to tell us where he is. **Now** , his room mate is probably innocent Seungcheol….so he doesn’t need his face kicked in…. ok?”

“Ok—I won’t kick his face in” Seungcheol promised, lying. In all honesty, Seungcheol would hurt anyone if it meant he found Jihoon.

……………………………….

When Jin-Young’s room-mate, Joo-Won opened the door, Seungcheol smiled dangerously at the him and pushed him into the room, pinning him against the wall and asked him calmly, if somewhat menacingly, Jin-Young’s current location. When he didn’t cooperate _immediately_ , Seungcheol became steely and Joo-Won became frantic before Seungcheol finally threw his hands up in the air, shouting, “Fine— I’ll make you tell me!”

“AAAGGHHHHH-gmmmmmm” Joo-Won screamed, voice muffled by the pillow Seungcheol was holding to his face as the others looked on, slack-jawed at Seungcheol’s side

Mingyu grimaced “I’m very, _very_ sorry about this…..but if you could just cooperate we will be out of your hair in no time” Mingyu tried to explain in between Joo-Won’s screams.

“Cheol! This isn’t accomplishing anything! I know you’re worried, I know you’re angry and upset but this guy didn’t kidnap Jihoon, we need him to be calm and tell us where Jin-Young is!” Wonwoo explained, icy and logical, trying to loosen Seungcheol’s death grip on the pillow.

“But-he’s NOT telling us anything-He’s just screaming” Seungcheol whispered through clenched teeth.

“That’s because you are _terrifying!_ Just--hold back a second and let us handle this” DK pleaded with him. From this angle, Seungcheol’s shoulders look obscenely broad, his eyes are shadowy and he’s scowling at the kid like he had just gravely insulted the last three generations of his family and ran over his pet dog. No wonder Joo-Won can only cry and flail in response.

Seungcheol shoved himself off and backed away in a huff, moving to stand near the entrance.

DK approached the frightened boy carefully, trying to make himself as small as possible “Okay-Listen-Joo-Won……we know you’re scared and we’re sorry…. but we need to know where Jin-young is, it’s very important” DK explained calmly.

“Iii---ddddoo----Iiiii” The freshman stuttered.

“He better start making sense--this shit’s getting old - **real quick** ” Seungcheol said, rounding on him with the pillow again.

Mingyu held out a hand to stop Seungcheol advancing any further.. “God dammit Cheol--Just give him a second!”

Joo-Won glanced between the two boys hovering over him “Hhee….hee’s at a seminar……abbb….abbout sexxxxuuall…harassment” he faltered.

“Okay….good…..see…we are getting somewhere. Now….Do you know where it’s being held?” Mingyu asked calmly.

“I know!” Hoshi announced cheerfully. “It’s in the Auditorium, lecture theatre 4, 17:00-19:00, ‘Self Awareness and Harassment’, a compulsory module if you’ve been cautioned for indecent behavior in College” he recited matter-of-factly.

Jun skeptically raises an eyebrow. “Uhhhh and..…how do you know?” he manages to ask eventually.

“Because that’s where I’m supposed to be right now…..” Hoshi explains casually and just looks at the rest of the group angelically, lips upturned as if he hadn’t just admitted to receiving a caution for indecency.

“That’s where you were supposed to be?” DK repeated incredulously. “What the fuck Hosh!”

“What?-- _hey!_ It wasn’t _entirely_ my fault……look…. I was in the library, reaching for a book on the top shelf….my pen fell out of my pocket and landed in this girl’s cleavage. I wanted to ask for it back but she had these _humongous_ breasts and before I knew it…I was reaching in there myself…..”

“Dear **god** Hoshi….after we resolve this we need to have a sit down and talk— **wait** ” Mingyu looked up, gasping with adrenaline to see an empty space at the entrance of the room, where Seungcheol had been standing.

“Where is Seungcheol Hyung?”

………………………………

“Good evening” The presenter greeted the audience. “My name is Professor Pho, I will be running this Seminar today. Many of you have been invited here conditionally, as part of your probationary penance and I request that you sign in and out of the seminar for our records” He explained, tapping a button on his computer and pulling up the presentation slides on the digital board.

“Physical, verbal and Sexual harassment are issues which the College treats very seriously” He began in a very grave voice “I expect everyone’s full cooperation with the discussion, the Q+A and the role play exercises we will be going through. Speaking of role play’s, we have asked a number of our Drama students to role-play some scenarios that demonstrate these vicious acts. So you can hopefully get an understanding of the impact of these behaviours as a third party---“The professor trailed off as the sound of loud yelling and the thumping of footsteps outside the auditorium resounded through the open space.

Just then the lecture theatre doors crashed open with a little too much zeal for someone simply looking to enjoy a seminar about ‘Self Awareness and Harassment’ and the entire hall turned in their seats to look at the top of the auditorium **“JIN YOUNG!”** Seungcheol hollered from the entrance, his voice wrapped a little too darkly around the name.

Jin young, who was busy doodling Spongebob Squarepants wearing a bikini on a piece of paper, snapped to attention at the mention of his name, then slowly turned his head around and caught sight of his pursuer. His blood went cold. “Oh-shit”

“Ahh…I see the role play has started” Professor Pho surmised, rubbing his palms together and taking a seat to watch. To a casual viewer, it would look like an over-acted, albeit well-timed demonstration playing out in the auditorium to coincide with the seminar topic.

Jin-Young knew differently, and slithered down in his seat, hoping to remain out of sight.

“WHERE **THE FUCK** IS JIN-YOUNG? COME OUT -YOU COWARD- SO I CAN KILL YOU!” Seungcheol hollered.

The professor floundered in his seat for a moment. “Well…I don’t approve of this kind of language usually but…it certainly adds an element of realism to the whole act, doesn’t it?” he whispered to one of his assistants who nodded politely in agreement.

“JIN YOUNG- YOU SACK OF SHIT--WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY BOYFRIEND!?” Seungcheol hollered, thundering his way down the center steps towards the front, so he could get better look at the seated audience. The eyes of everyone in the room followed him, but the remained seated, appreciating the level of detail in the act-they thought was rehearsed.

Just then, sensing he was being rapidly cornered, Jin-Young lunged from the chair, vaulting over a row or two of seats, crashing through a table of refreshments and knocking an audio speaker to the floor, speeding uselessly in the direction of the fire exit near the side of the stage. Seungcheol’s eyes pinpointed the movement instantly, and heedless of anything else, bolted after him, jumping down the last flight of stairs, rolling to his feet and spun on Jin-Young, who was still caught in that moment of crucial indecision about whether to fight or flee.

Jin young barely managed to push down the fire release bar on the fire door before Seungcheol rammed him against it. He pulled him away from the door and then threw him against it again, kicked his feet out from underneath him, grabbed him by the hair and started dragging him back towards the entrance at the top of the auditorium.

“It certainly looks real, what a good show, such great acting and they even had a student in the audience to participate! Amazing!” Professor Pho commented approvingly.

“AHHHhhhhhhh..help!” Jin-Young squealed.

“Nobody is gonna help you now _you creep!”_ Seungcheol seethed.

Jin young twisted in his grip and wrenched himself free, threw himself towards the fire exit with further abandon. Seungcheol launched himself at Jin-Young, pinning him to the door, whacking his head against it and then ringing his neck in a chokehold, before throwing carefully judged punches for good measure. Seungcheol grabbed him by the back of his hoodie this time and commenced dragging him across the floor.

Mingyu, Wonwoo, Hoshi, Dk and Jun came around the corner a second later, half-way through Seungcheol’s monologue about how Jin-Young was going to get the kneecapping to end his basketball dreams.

“Oh-shit-oh-shit-oh-shit” Mingyu gasped, watching from the top of the auditorium, severely out of breath. They suspected that Seungcheol would head here and legged it, hoping to catch him before he did anything drastic. They were obviously too late.

Jin-young was pleading for his life, wailing loud and broad and inclusive. Trying to hold on to the chairs as Seungcheol dragged him past the seats to the front exit.

“Why is everyone just….sitting there and letting this happen?…..like it’s a fucking movie or something” Jun queried, watching the crowded room, looking on as Seungcheol dragged a squealing student up the stairs, occasionally stopping to kick him in the side or punch him in the head.

That’s when the clapping started.

“Bravo…bravo…” Professor Pho said, getting to his feet, clapping enthusiastically, followed by the rest of the audience “Brilliant, superb!”

“Noo…it’s reall… **it’s realll** …. **hellppp** ….he’s gonna kill me!” Jin-Young pleaded out, trying to kick out and release himself from Seungcheol’s grasp. **“It’s not a role play”** he insisted.

The audience continued clapping as he was dragged out, now, everyone on their feet and applauding the spectacle.

“What the fuck…..Now they’re all clapping” Wonwoo hissed.

“Wow…I guess…a lot of people really hate Jin-Young” Mingyu said shrugging his shoulders.

“Please-give my thanks to the president of the drama club” Professor Pho yelled out to Seungcheol just as he heaved the unrelenting student through the double doors. Seungcheol swallowed in surprise, only now taking note of the audience he had garnered, but his hesitation was only slight before he yelled back “I will….kay-thanks-bye”

……………………………………

They were 5 minutes out of the seminar, before Seungcheol consented to stop yelling and beating Jin-Young. He’d dragged him to a secluded park around the corner from the auditorium and threw him down on the dust. Seungcheol collapsed against a wall leaning his head back against it as he breathed in huge gulps of air. Jin-Young was lying curled up on the ground, protectively circling his head, body shaking with fear, apologies spewing out of his mouth.

“Shut up, _shut up,_ **_shut up_** ” Seungcheol said, finally calming enough to breath. Seungcheol slammed Jin-Young down the concrete, crouched over him and then held a forearm against his throat. “Where is he?” He spat, slapping him across the face “What did you do with Jihoonie? Where did you take him?” he punctuated each question with another harsh slap.

“I didn’t touch him-I swear!” Jin-young cried out.

Mingyu’s gaze is searing, a silent supplication for mercy, and Seungcheol ignores it. _“What did you do to him?_ ” he demands, and Jin-Young trembles and shakes his head.

“Nothing….I didn’t do anything” He looks at Seungcheol, disarmed, disgraced.

 _Nothing._ LIAR “Yes-you-did- **don’t-lie!”** Seungcheol seethed, delivering another round of harsh blows.

“We saw you….grabbing him on Friday….he told us you threatened him!” Jun said, looking down at the sniveling boy.

“Yeah!!” Hoshi chirped in “You hurt him arm, you were manhandling him!”

Jin-Young swallowed and nodded nervously “I…yes…but…I was just pissed off….cause I got put on probation….he told them I sexually assaulted him” he wept.

“YOU-DID ASSULT HIM YOU CUNT!” Seungcheol yelled, “He told me! I should have smashed you face in back then like I wanted to” He spat, moving to stand, raising a leg to stomp on the boy reeling on the ground “Not gonna make that mistake twice- now TELL ME!” He yelled.

“Cheol-stop! You’re gonna kill him!” Mingyu was the one who pried him away from Jin-Young, red-eyed but still rational to the last. He shoved the baseball bat between them to pry them apart, then wrapped it around Seungcheol’s arms to try and restrain him. It held all of 5 seconds before Seungcheol elbowed him in the stomach, winded him and grabbed the bat out of his grasp. Jin-Young used that moment of reprieve to jump to his feet and make a run for it, but Seungcheol was faster.

The bat slammed into the back of Jin-Young’s right leg, making him stagger and drop to one knee with a shout of pain, the sound of which made Seungcheol spitefully glad. Seungcheol rounded it off with a kick to the ribs and Jin-Young finally crumpled down completely. Seungcheol smiled thin lipped and with a tiny thrill of pleased satisfaction. He’d forgotten how good it felt to kick someone’s ass. Especially somebody who deserved it.

Everyone was watching without any intention to lift a finger against whatever Seungcheol deemed appropriate retribution. Mingyu and Wonwoo shared a quick look, their faces anxious and lined, asking what would happen but knowing better than to interfere. “Should have done this to you the first time you touched my precious petal” Seungcheol spoke through gritted teeth before swinging the bat backwards.

Out of the corner of his eye, Seungcheol caught sight of a tall man running up behind him. His hand was reaching out to him and before he could swing the bat back towards Jin-Young, an arm had grasped it.

Jin-Young flinched and jerked on the ground, expecting an attack, bursting into tears when it didn’t happen. “Woah-woah” Namjoon said, grabbing hold of the bat as Seungcheol swung it back, making him startle guiltily in the midst of his attack. “What did I say!….Don’t do anything drastic Cheol-- _shit man_ ” Namjoon said, placing a reassuring weight on his shoulder.

“But….He…..he _kidnapped_ my boyfriend” Seungcheol bristled, letting his bat wielding arm slump to the side. He did, however, look a little reproving when he righted himself.

Seungcheol studies the group of boys surrounding him. Their search party had increased exponentially, with the addition of Beta-Tau-Sigma and the return of Vernon and Seungkwan who had gone to fetch them.

He turns back to Namjoon, who is looking at him kind and apologetic and ruthlessly rational. “Smashing his face in isn’t going to get any answers bro……take it _easy_ …..calm down” he says softly, like he’s talking Seungcheol off a ledge. “We have other ways of getting information out of people you know, more _subtle_ ways that don’t involve jail time”

“Yeah..Like…..WATER BOARDING!” Hoshi shouted out excitedly.

 “Or…..ELECTRICK SHOCKS TO THE GROIN!” Yoongi added, giving the group a smile that was equal parts cheerful and sadistic.

Namjoon’s eyebrows crawled upwards. He was going to suggest hypnosis. Suddenly, the prospect of swinging a pocket watch in front of Jin-Young’s face until he spilled seemed embarrassingly mundane.

“How about we....HAMMER SPLINT’S UNDER HIS NAILS!” Taehyung cheered.

“No-no…..SENSORY DEPREVATION!” Vernon joined in the yelling

“Uhmmm….…what’s that?” Yoongi asked who a puzzled expression.

“Oh, well basically, you strip him of all his senses by leaving him in a –“ Hoshi, Yoongi, Vernon and Taehyung discussed a few different ways one could go about weaponizing an electric mixer to achieve all of these torture techniques should the need arise, which swiftly turned into contemplating all manner of terrible torture techniques and their effectiveness.

“ENOUGH!” Seungcheol interjected. He’s staring fixedly at the bat in his hands, itching to use it. “It’s going to take too long-let’s just smash his face in!”

“Hold up…..this…this isn’t the guy who came to our house” Jungkook spoke up, leaning over to study Jin-Young’s bruised and battered visage. The group hushed around him.

 _“What?”_ a few of them echoed each other.

“Yeah…he’s too tall. The guy who came to the house, the one with the weird suit and the mask…he was shorter. I remember thinking…. **ha** …somebody as short as Jimin and then I teased Jimin about it. But this guy here…he’s at least a foot taller” Jungkook explained, pointing to the terrified, trembling form of Jin-Young on the floor.

“Yeah…..his eyes…I mean….I didn’t get a good look at the guy through the car window…but his eyes…were familiar….” Seungkwan said, trying to think back on the small details of Jihoon’s abduction.

“What are you saying….he’s didn’t……he didn’t take him?” Seungcheol said, wringing his hair. He searched the faces in the group, confused. He turned to Jin-Young who was still lying on the ground cowering in fear, but lucid enough to be paying attention. “If I find out….you touched him…I-” he began to threaten.

Jin-Young shook his head furiously. “I swear….to GOD I didn’t touch Jihoon ….I admit…I grabbed him on Friday…I was angry but,…I’m getting help now….I didn’t see him after that. I will never go anywhere near him again-- _I promise_ ” Jin-Young begged, grasping on to Seungcheol’s pant leg, sniveling. Seungcheol shoved him back, frustrated.

“Then- **WHO** -took him,…….why…..w….” Seungcheol began to say, then he can’t untangle his tongue long enough to get another word out.

“Calm down Cheol-We will figure this out” Namjoon said, patting him gently on the back. “Alright guys, think…..think back when that guy visited us….anything you remember” Namjoon urged his fraternity.

“Uhh…..he was short like Jimin” Jungkook started them off.

Jimin crossed his arms and shot him a withering look _“Fuck-you”_ Jimin added.

“He was wearing..the weirdest suit…like….a dark red, trouser suit” Yoongi offered “And he implied that. _.I_ didn’t have style, can you imagine? Pfft”

“I couldn’t see his face, obviously he was…wearing that mask but…he spoke….weird. Like…he was in some kind of play…..theatrical like” Jin added.

“He had a feather in his breast pocket….sorry that..probably doesn’t matter” Jimin chirped up. The remark seems to come out of nowhere.

 “What…” Seungcheol said, tilting his head in his direction. Something about that resonated, something that corkscrewed its way through Seungcheol’s mind and dug in deep.

“Yeah…..uhm…a feather….I noticed it when he came in. I thought it was like…a quill, you know…to write with.” Jimin said, pursing his lips.

“Who the fuck-writes with a quill anymore….that’s bull…you’re confused Jimini” Taehyung said.

Something was wrong. Seungcheol’s stomach seized up on itself. “No—wait….Joon let me see those photos again, the one the guy sent you… of Jihoonie” Seungcheol urged.

Namjoon stiffened on the spot “I….I’m sorry I deleted them….I…thought it would be kinda weird if I kept pictures of your boyfriend on my phone….sorry” Namjoon said.

“ **Shit** ….wait…did you see all the photos?…..Did you get a proper look at all of them?” Seungcheol asked, sounding more desperate with each word.

“Yeah..well…I glanced at all of them…I can’t recollect any particular details” Namjoon said, a little contrite.

“Ok…..ok….shit…” Seungcheol mutters, eyes darting back and forth. To Namjoon he sounds tired. Namjoon hazards a glance at the rest of the group, searching for a hint of what he means by this, but they look equally perplexed. He looks back at Seungcheol, his face is turned down, fixated on the bat in his hand, clearly mulling over something, then he seems to recollect his thoughts.

“Was there a photograph of him sleeping?” Seungcheol asked carefully.

Something clicked in Namjoon’s head then “Yeah… ** _yeah_** …the first one on the reel-I remember….” Namjoon said in a thin, level voice that sliced across Seungcheol’s skin like a paper cut. “He had pink hair in it”

“Fu-fuck” Seungcheol whispered brokenly. His grip on the bat didn’t change but he dropped his head into his free hand, pulling at his hair and swallowing against some emotion caught in his throat. _What is it? Why is that important?_ Namjoon wants to shout at him, but if Seungcheol of all people is keeping his mouth shut then the time for words has passed.

 _“Shit!”_ Seungcheol said voice catching around a gasp, then deepening again “I know who has him”

……………………………………

Jihoon woke up from what felt like a long dream, or more precisely, an unending nightmare. A few brief memories flashed in the forefront of his mind; _a stranger, a mask, a van_ .He sat up rigid with shock and threw himself forward on his knees coughing and sweating and scrambling to hold on to something, anything familiar as though it might crush down the panic climbing up his throat.

He’s been kidnapped, sedated and kidnapped, of that he was certain. Of everything else, he would have to find out. He tried to calm himself by rationalizing that this was _not_ the first time he had been kidnapped, the first being over 5 months ago and that experience, in the end, had turned out quite nicely. 

But the trepidation building in the back of his head told him, Seungcheol was not responsible for his capture this time. And fear seized him.

He's not stupid enough to call out ' _help’_ , because even if he hadn’t have woken up on the floor of a darkened room, he’s seen enough horror movies to know better than to alert your kidnapper that you were awake.

Jihoon stands on legs that feel like water. The blood rushes from his head, he's aching all over, and when tries to walk forward, he dizzies and catches on a chain clasped around his ankle. He stumbles, falling over on his hands and knees. He rolls on to his back, just enough to catches a glimpse of the ceiling. There was the feeling of sedative, making his tongue and limbs loose and heavy. He blinked his eyes slowly open to a rough-hewn brick and wood beamed ceiling, with small objects hanging from hooks and string on the roof. Everything was blurred around the edges and he couldn’t identify what he was looking at exactly, so he rubbed his eyes and blinked tightly.

Returning to balance against the wall, he stood up and tried to walk towards the blurred shape of a door on his left hand side. The chain bolted to the wall prevented him from reaching halfway across the room. It is noticeably cold in the room, like a bone-deep chill. A draft, is what he logically thinks. From a window perhaps? He shivers in spite of himself.

He gave himself a few minutes for his vision to adjust and then looked up the side of the walls.

There are three narrow awning windows near the top of the ceiling, too high for Jihoon to climb to, even if he wasn’t shackled. The windows are partially blacked out with strips of duct tape strapped across them, but persistent rays of sunshine creep through all the same, dancing over plumes of dust and debris. The window awning could be opened easily, if he could fucking reach it, and even then, for all he knew he could be three floors up and he didn’t want to venture a guess at his climbing abilities when he was still recovering from whatever substance was used to knock him out.

"Hello Jihoon" a voice whispers from the dark corner.

The hairs on the back of Jihoon’s neck stand on end and he presses his back pressed against the wall, blinking through the darkness, trying to locate the source of the voice, a _familiar_ voice.  Jihoon stood frozen, mouth opened, but he couldn’t for the life of him make a single word come out of it.

"How are you feeling?" The voice asked, slightly accented-unique and still- _familiar_.

But the thing is, _he knows_ he’s in an unfamiliar building, chained to the wall, but it smells like his dorm room- which is really _weird_. Jihoon had never thought about what his dorm room smelt like before, he tried to spend as little time as possible in it and often forked out on canisters of room spray to drown out the scent of his room-mate. Now in the dark, with adrenaline coursing through his system- his other senses are heightened and he detects a distinct odour that reminds him specifically of his dorm room- it's not dirty socks or deodorant or pizza, just the scent of…. _pickles?_

The stranger chuckles in the darkness and takes a step forward. His arms are clasped behind him, and Jihoon can just about make out his silhouette in the darkness as he looks Jihoon over, as if he can see perfectly in the dark. Jihoon could faintly make out the sharp line of white teeth as the stranger openly grinned at him, but then the smile was swallowed up by the darkness almost as quickly as it had appeared. “How are you feeling Jihoon? Did you sleep well?”

“Who are you?” Jihoon called out, voice strained with panic.

The stranger steps back into the shadows again and laughs at him. "Poor little bird" he says, in a voice that's not so much soothing or even condescending as it is mocking. There was a click, and the fizzing sound of electricity as the overhead fluorescent lamps snapped on, flooding the room with white light.

“Oh my god” Jihoon said, slowly.

 “Henry?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So.....LOL.  
> Sorry, Still angsty. It will get better I promise.  
> Also....to that one commenter who guessed correctly. WELL DONE YOU LITTLE GENIUS. I didn't reply to your message because I was like....oh shit, she figured it out. SHhhhhhh. lol.


	22. Fledgling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Desperate times call for desperate measures.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took, ages to write. Actually ages.

The awkwardness is palpable, not knowing what to expect but knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that this isn’t some kind of prank. If he hadn't known it before, this stunt had most definitely alerted Jihoon to the fact that Henry was _completely insane._

His eyes dart around his surroundings. Under the sterile white lights of the room, his enclosure seems uglier. He can now see the small floating objects on the ceiling are in-fact Henry’s taxidermy bird collection, strung up from thin bits of wire and string. Reality chafes, thick and uncomfortable on his skin, constrictive, when he realizes that if Henry has taken his nearest and dearest with him, he’s planning on staying here for the long haul.

 Jihoon’s not sure what to make of all of this. Henry has always been weird-but up until now, he’s dismissed it as- _‘home schooled-no friends_ weird’ and not _‘potentially serial killer material’_ weird. It’s unnerving to think he’s missed this side of Henry, usually reading people is something that normally comes as easily to Jihoon as blinking.

Jihoon bitterly wonders why Henry has singled him out, he turns to say as much but Henry wasn’t even looking at him, engrossed in petting one of his taxidermy creations as though it was living and could respond to the touch. As Jihoon watched, he paced down the length of the room, fingertips brushing along the walls and the benches, pushed against the edges of the space.

“Where am I?” Jihoon isn’t exactly expecting an explanation, even though he’s dying to pelt Henry with questions, but it drives him up the wall when Henry doesn’t do anything but give him a cold smile. “…What is this place?” he asks, brittle and hollow.

Henry chuckled mirthlessly. “Your new Home” he retorts, with a bright and transparently insincere smile. It grates on Jihoon’s nerves.

He frowns, eyes level and curious on Henry’s “Why have you kidnapped me? What the hell are you thinking?”

Henry grins, more teeth than lips, his eyes take on a bottomless sheen, his expression coalesces into something infinitely frightening “Jihoon. You are so special. I feel like…you and I have a special _connection_. You are the only person who openly communicates with me, I know we share a room but I believe you _choose_ to communicate with me because we are... good friends and have similar interests” He suggested.

“What? **_No_** ….and we are NOTHING alike. I literally just talk to you because we live in the same room- I asked to relocate after I met you but the dorm rooms were full and now that I spend most of my time at the frat anyway, I didn’t see the point of re-submitting that request. So, **no** Henry--we are not friends” Jihoon finished, wincing at the plain honesty and creeping desperation he hears in his voice. He clears his throat.

Henry made a move towards him then, and Jihoon shrank away as he advanced. He wished he could sink entirely into the wall he was chained to.

Henry raises a hand to the side of Jihoon's head and he flinches like a skittish animal and immediately hates himself for that moment of weakness. But then Henry is petting his hair, a little too rough, over and over again. His other hand cages Jihoon in, braced against the wall by his hip. Henry is maybe half a foot taller than he is, but currently he's towering over him and Jihoon has no idea how that's even possible. _Maybe because I feel so small._

“People think I’m odd…..do you think that’s a fair assessment? They call me weird..” he spoke, smile and voice serrated at the edges “They don’t think I notice how they act differently around me….but I notice _everything_ ”

From the corner of his eye, Jihoon can see Henry lick his lips. “No, you’re not weird at all Henry. It’s normal to wear the same fucking outfit day in day out, never brush your teeth and keep a collection of dead birds hanging in your room” Jihoon replies loftily, snark masking the terror that lay too close to the surface for comfort. 

“Kidnapping your dorm mates and chaining them to a brick wall-that’s totally fucking normal-kinda mundane actually” Jihoon spat, taking refuge in sarcasm the way he usually does when he’s not quite sure how to read somebody or their intentions correctly.

Henry remains silent, but continues to pet his hair. "What are----why are you doing this?" Jihoon asks, his voice sounds small and shocked.

"Doing what exactly? " Henry says, his voice hissing "Why I have brought you here? Or why I’m grooming your hair?”

"Why are you being so fucking weird" Jihoon spits, straightening up against the wall so that he's not as small as he suddenly feels, and puts on his ‘don’t fuck with me’ voice "I’ve always been nice to you Henry—I’ve tolerated a lot of your shit and you might be home-schooled but it’s common sense that you don’t kidnap people and chain them up you fuck-wit."

"You’re nervous, you usually curse and lash out when you’re nervous" Henry says. There's a strange, mocking lilt to his voice that Jihoon has never heard before in this context. "So I’m going to overlook those insults on this occasion, I do appreciate that this isn’t the most ideal situation to find yourself in” The hand that had been petting Jihoon’s hair slides down to pinch his chin, a little too hard to be friendly.

Henry’s laugh was brief and broken. It made Jihoon feel profoundly uncomfortable. “If you would permit me, I would like to be a gracious host and feed you”

“I’m not hungry” Jihoon says, sinking to the ground and avoiding eye contact.

Henry hesitates, then gets up and goes behind the plastic curtain. He returns with a small dish that doesn’t look like it holds much, which he holds out to Jihoon, a cautious distance away. When Jihoon doesn’t acknowledge it, he places it on the ground in front of him.

Jihoon eyes it contemptuously “What…what is that?”

Henry’s laugh is a dark, cold thing. _"Birdseed”_

……………………………..

Seungcheol felt a shiver creep down his spine. _Henry_ he thought. _Fuck, fuck, fuck. It was fucking Henry_. Henry with his blacked-out background, his weird hobbies, relentless obsession with photographing Jihoon sleeping; Seungcheol should have expected nothing else. “That taxi-dermy motherfucker” he hissed through gritted teeth.

Somehow Jihoon had gotten onto Henry’s radar, and he’s stayed there, much to Seungcheol’s dismay. In the last three months, the _freak_ had accumulated so many photographs of his boyfriend it unnerves Seungcheol to think that Jihoon was sleeping a few feet away from the psychopath in his dorm all along. He allowed for approximately thirty seconds of anger for being so close and yet so far before he lurched forward and ran down the path towards Jihoon’s dorm room.

“Cheol!” Seungkwan shouted out after him, the crowd of boys following him utterly confused “Can you hold up and just tell what you’re thinking?”

“It’s Henry….Henry has him!.... ** _Fuck!”_** Seungcheol bites out, single syllable cutting and sharp “I should have seen this!”

“What?” Seungkwan gasps incredulously, trying to catch up with his train of thought.

“Who the fuck is Henry?” Namjoon asks, jogging to keep up with Seungcheol’s pace.

Seungkwan spoke up “Jihoon’s room-mate….he’s really weird…but…kidnapping, really?”

“It’s him alright, I know it’s him” Seungcheol replied. He didn't sound like himself; he sounded like he was on the verge of hysteria, voice trembling with fury and a dozen emotions he can’t name.

“But Cheol…not even ten minutes ago you were about to snuff out Jin-Young, you were sure it was him too!” Mingyu reminded him “How can you be so sure it’s Henry now?” he puffed trying to keep up with Seungcheol’s rapid sprint.

Seungcheol shook his head “No, this makes more sense…Jin-Young was just a fucking coincidence. Henry is the only person who is familiar with Jihoon’s routine, can get close to him without it being…obvious. He’s the only person who could photograph him sleeping besides me. Jihoon told me months ago that he caught Henry taking a photo of him sleeping”

And nobody can really argue with that logic.

“So…you think he’s hauled up in their dorm room? Please tell me one of you was clever enough to check there first!” Yoongi said derisively.

Seungcheol stops mid sprint and turns back to the group, cocking his head to one side, as if in deliberation. “I don’t think it’s gonna be that easy. He’ll have taken him somewhere…..but there’s gotta be something in their room we could use….a clue”

……………………..

Seungcheol has a spare key to Jihoon’s dorm room. It should be easy enough to get access to the room and search for clues. Except, the key was in a drawer in his bedside cabinet, a good 30 minutes away and he wasn’t about to head back and waste even more time. So he kicked the door in, snapping the twist lock and denting the wood panel as the door splintered and bounced off the wall violently.

The sight that greeted him as he entered left him feeling strangely numb and hollow.

“ _Jesus_ ……where are all his birds?” Seungkwan asked, looking at the blank walls in amazement. Henry had swept the room clean, every personal item belonging to him was gone. Jihoon’s side of the room was untouched, the bed sheets still rumpled from where he last slept in them.

“He’s packed up….. **he’s fucking packed up!** He’s taken everything that’s important to him..…..he’s not coming back here” Seungcheol grunted. He was pacing the room, unaware that all eyes were on him. He looked fretful and, much worse than that, angry. Terrifically angry. Injustice burned inside of him, suddenly. This wasn't fair.

Namjoon rubbed his lips with his fingers, his expression cloudy. “Ok…just…calm down. If he moved out, somebody must have seen him leave, we can go down the corridor, knocking door to door and check with the neighbors” he said, voice gentling.

“What’s going on…you guys don’t live here” Somebody interrupted them. They turned to see a tall student standing at the entrance of the room, curiously inspecting the dent in the door. Seungkwan seemed to recognize him and pushed past the others to approach him.

“Oh god..Minghao….have you seen Henry or Jihoon?” Seungkwan asked, rushing towards him.

“Uhh….I saw Henry this morning. I’ve been waiting for him to come back. If you find him. Tell him I need his insurance details….he scratched a dent in my car when he reversed out of his parking spot. I yelled after him and he just kept on driving. So inconsiderate” he tittered.

“Was Jihoon with him?” Seungcheol demanded abruptly, turning his full attention to Minghao.

“Jihoon… _no_. I didn’t think they hung out. Jihoon was normal…Henry was….kinda freaky, nobody on the corridor really spoke to him much. I room across the hall and sometimes Jihoon would come in just to get away from him for a bit……Henry could be pretty intense” Minghao shared.

“Shit…....” Seungcheol breaks off, breathing hard, anger palpable in the worn room.

“Listen…did you notice anything strange?” Seungkwan asks.

Minghao gave a non-committal shrug of his shoulders “It’s Henry, everything about him is strange, but ….I _guess_ he was panicky when I last saw him, packing his stuff in this black van. He was in such a hurry, he even left a box of his crap on the sidewalk downstairs” Minghao enlightened.

“Oh god….did you happen to get the license plate of the van he was driving?” Seungcheol asked, he was relieved and furious and a hundred different emotions all at once.

Minghao shook his head “No sorry….”

“Dammit!” Seungcheol grunted, he can’t help the irritation that creeps into his tone, increasingly annoyed at the lack of direction and clues his efforts keep providing.

“But you need to permit to park on campus, right?” Hoseok spoke up “ So he must have registered the vehicles details with the college, the license plate registration is on the college database. _We can access that!_ We just need to get on the campus servers” he said, turning to Seungcheol.

Seungcheol nodded his head in understanding, his face was all hard angles, with a line between his eyebrows that showed up when he was concerned, annoyed, in deep thought. His eyes were completely unreadable, they were dark and revealed absolutely nothing of what was going on inside his head to the group of boys surrounding him.

“I’m sorry, but how _exactly_ is getting the license plate going to help find him? We don’t have any technology to trace it” DK explained.

“No, but it’s a start…. _it’s something.”_ Seungcheol murmured, his voice was calm if not hoarse from exhaustion, and he scratched his head as he thought.

“Wait….the police would have that kind of technology….they run license plates through their databases to check for compounded or stolen vehicles all the time!” Mingyu explained.

“So..what we just ask them to run some details for us….do you remember how helpful they were earlier Mingyu?” Wonwoo said pointedly.

“If we explain to them what’s going on again…..” Mingyu tried.

 **“What if…”** Seungcheol interrupted fiercely , then he pulled away as a thought occurred to him. “What if….We use their tech and not tell them about it?” Seungcheol suggests vaguely.

“Uhm….and how are we going to do that?” Yoongi asked, turning slowly, eyebrows raised in exaggeration.

Everyone created a circle in the centre of the room as they started pooling their collective mental resources. Seungcheol began by splitting the group into two “Ok…..Listen up. We need to split up. We’ll cover more ground that way. One team. Let’s say, Team A….needs to go back to the campus. We need Henry’s car registration details from the parking permit application form registered on the system. The rest of us, team B, will head to the police station. Team A will contact us with the details, Team B can input it and try and locate the car” Seungcheol explained.

Mingyu runs a frustrated hand down his face, his mind whirring and failing to catch up. “ _Woah_ …wait..How? That software is on a computer somewhere in the police station, **_surrounded by police officers_** ….we can’t just waltz in and use it!” he pointed out.

Seungcheol stared at him for a long heartbeat, and Mingyu could see the wheels working behind the brown of his eyes. At Mingyu’s increasingly alarmed expression, Seungcheol sighed. “I know…but I don’t plan on using their computer directly….I’m just planning on stealing one of their patrol cars”

He paused then, eyes circling the room, gauging everyone’s reaction to his plan. Predictably, Mingyu gapes openly at him, Wonwoo give him a long-suffering sigh and Namjoon looks mildly amused as the rest of them just stare blankly ahead. Even more predictably, Hoshi is already volunteering to steal the car solo without assistance from anyone else.

“This is the best thing ever…..I’m game for this” Hoshi cheers.

Mingyu sighed and stood up. The look on his face was one of worry. But it also didn't mask the plain mortification that shone through. “No… _this is crazy_ …how is that going to help find Jihoon!?”

Namjoon clicks his fingers “ _Fuck I get it_ …..you’re going to run the car details from the patrol car…..if we call the station up from one of their patrol cars, dispatch will think it’s one of their own guys calling in for help and they will run the details **for us!** ” Namjoon hazards a guess at Seungcheol’s logic.

_“Exactly!”_

Feeling shell-shocked, Mingyu took a seat on the edge of Jihoon’s empty bed. It was too late to try to argue with him, Seungcheol had already made up his mind and by the looks of it, the rest of the team were agreeing with his plan "How do we plan on stealing ….or..borrowing this police car exactly?" he asked, resigned.

Seungcheol smiled for the first time in hours “Easy……anybody here got a police uniform?” he asked, rubbing his hands together.

“Jungkookie does….right kookie?” Namjoon prompted.

Jungkook is midway through blowing a giant bubble-gum balloon when it explodes, sticking to his face a split second before he realized they were talking about him. He’s busy pulling the gum off his face when he notices 14 sets of eyes riveted on him. He blinked innocently at the group “What?”

 

…………………………….

 

Henry tugged a folding chair away from a corner and sat it down across from where Jihoon was sprawled across the decrepit floorboards, near a small ceramic basin.

“Take a seat please” Henry gestures to the stool, the request is made out of politeness, not out of any actual need, it’s not like Jihoon has much of a choice.

Some part of him feels like this is a subconscious test, like a hoop Henry is making him jump through to assert control. Naturally, Jihoon’s first instinct is to recoil, to refuse to go along with this until some sort of explanation is offered, but he hasn’t neglected to notice details, such as the bottle of chloroform sitting on the table next to Henry, no doubt what he used to incapacitate him the first time, and no doubt will be used again if he put up a fight. Jihoon knows he’d rather be awake and alert for what was to follow.

It occurred to Jihoon that he doesn’t have a leg to stand on. “Fine,” Jihoon grumbled, crossing the room, dragging the chains behind him as loudly as possible, to sit on the low stool near the basin.

Jihoon understood with biting clarity that he was dealing with somebody dangerous, somebody that would not be suspected immediately and would be clever enough to cover his tracks.  He would have to play this carefully.

"What colour was your hair originally?" Henry whispers, breath cold against Jihoon's ear. He leans forward so that his face is barely touching Jihoon's neck, nudging lightly and inhaling. "I need to restore you to your original glory" he whispers, "Blonde is so unnatural and false on you" There is a trace of amusement and another emotion Jihoon can’t quite place lurking behind Henry’s jaunty smile. It’s deeply unsettling.

"Fuck off" Jihoon murmurs, sending the other boy a look of pure contempt.

If Henry was disappointed in the lack of a straight answer, he didn’t show it. “Have it your way, I’m going to go with-Brown, like your eyes” he said, twisting a few strands of Jihoon’s hair between his fingers. “Lean back please” Henry gestured as he began to stir the hair dye solutions Jihoon watched him unpack earlier.

Slowly, Jihoon lays his head back on the sink, neck resting in the dip of the bowl crossing his arms over his chest. He can’t help but feel disgustingly submissive. It's probably the most mollifying gesture he's made in his entire life and it makes Jihoon feel lonely. It's an alien feeling, clawing its way up inside him and it takes him a second to untangle it- because he’s not agreeing to any of this, he just doesn’t have a choice and he’s cooperating because he doesn’t want to rattle Henry’s cage just yet.

Henry remains silent and unmoved for a moment, looking down at him, then he gets to work, soaking Jihoon’s hair with a pungent liquid from a squeezy bottle and rubbing it in to the scalp. The vapors sting Jihoon’s eyes and he quickly snaps them shut, even though he wishes to keep his eyes open and focused. It takes 30 minutes for the dye to set and then another 5 mins for Henry to wash it out. He carefully towels Jihoon’s hair before brushing it through with a comb.

Jihoon keeps his eyes shut throughout, trying to imagine himself someplace else, anywhere else. After a few moments of silence, he hears the unmistakable sound of scissors snipping close to his ear and he jerks away instinctively eyes snapping open to look up at the other boy looming over him.

"You hair is too long, I’m going to trim it” Henry says, with a smirk in his voice. “You should try not to move too much Jihoon, I wouldn’t want to cut your ear off by accident, although I do have the necessary equipment to repair it" He adds, a little darker. His hand tightens in Jihoon's hair, his expression is bordering on macabre now, bright and smug and too close to by half.

Henry slipped the scissors through his hair deftly, snipping here and there, working efficiently. Jihoon sat with his head bowed, watching as lock after lock of dark hair slipped off his shoulder, landing on the ground around his chair.

It could, Jihoon supposes, be infinitely worse. There’s plenty of awful things Henry could do to him. For the moment he just seems intent to brush and cut his hair. The care and precision he is taking is a little disconcerting, it’s similar to how Jihoon has seen him care for his dead birds. But there are definitely worse things than this.

“All done….now you’re a vision _little bird_ ” Henry cooed, stepping back to assess his work.

Gritting his teeth, Jihoon forces himself to ignore the use of the unwelcome nickname. He runs a hand through his hair in frustration. It was neat around the back, still lengthy at the crown, brown curls falling over his forehead.

“There, that’s better…..don’t you think?” Henry said, sounding pleased.

“I don’t care” Jihoon grunts, molars grinding down hard against each other.

Henry levels a probing stare at him, eyes searching. “Don’t be like that, I’ll fetch you a mirror for you to judge yourself.”

He steps back, behind the plastic tarp to the left side of the room and Jihoon’s mind work’s overtime, looking for anything he can use on the table next to him, anything he can pocket quickly and his eyes hone in on a screw driver tucked away amongst some blunt tools.

He pushes himself up from the creaking stool, tilting his head quickly to assess Henry’s whereabouts  before cautiously taking a step forward towards the table. Before he can take another step, before he can allow his fingers to so much as a twitch in its direction, Jihoon’s eyes are watering as a hand fists his hair, wrenching his head back.

“Uh, uh, uh” Henry coos warningly. Jihoon is uncomfortable to the point of being ready to squirm out of reach and make a break for the screw driver against all odds--but the feeling of something sharp and cold against his neck makes him tremble.

“Do yourself a favour, don’t even bother” Henry barely raises his voice, but Jihoon freezes all the same. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed all the noise outside. We’re just outside the train station. Trains coming in and out, all day and night. It’s always noisy. Perfect for when you need to disguise the sound of somebody _screaming._ So you see--There’s no reason to make this more difficult than it needs to be” He grips Jihoon’s hair a little tighter, tugs just hard enough to remind Jihoon of his position. 

Jihoon drops his arms to his side, but keeps his eyes on the screw driver, keeps glaring at it, shaken and anxious at Henry’s words and all the implications that come with them. Henry steps forwards, reaches past Jihoon, and picks up the screw driver from the table, pocketing it.

……………………………………..

After leaving Jihoon’s shared dorm room, Team A; Yoongi, Hoseok, Jun, Taehyung and Wonwoo headed straight to the campus to access the computer terminals. Team B; Seungcheol, Namjoon, Mingyu, Jimin, Jungkook, Hoshi, Seungkwan, Vernon and DK departed for Greek Row to collect their uniforms and prepare for their part of the plan.

“Okay…..I must admit…I wasn’t convinced at first **_but_** ….You guys really do pass as police officers” Jimin said, standing as he inspected Jungkook an Seungcheol in their fetching police uniforms, expression surprised and delighted

Mingyu stood near the back, watching them prepare. He is having a hard time fighting back the urge to interrupt and explain that this plan was essentially, _ridiculous._ Although the uniforms are pretty convincing, Mingyu is concerned that a trained officer will look past the charade too quickly and recognize a fake when they see one. The key is to be in and out before too many questions are asked and too many glances are shared.

“Jungkook, your outfit came with cuffs yeah? I need to borrow them” Seungcheol said absently, inspecting his uniform that he was adding the final touches to.

“Yeah” Jungkook unclipped a pair of cuffs from his belt and started to hand them over, and then froze. “Didn’t your costume come with a pair of—“ The way he suddenly stops, Seungcheol can almost see the gears in his head screech to a grinding halt and then double time it back into motion. Jungkook whips his head around to gape at him, open mouth and all. “That’s _kinky!_ ” Jungkook manages to wheeze out.

Seungcheol levels a flat look at Jungkook, he knows he’s pulling the biggest bitch face to ever bitch but he can’t help it because,  _really?_ “I lost them!” Seungcheol offered.

“Suuureee!” Jungkook drawls, tossing him the cuffs regardless “Don’t be pulling any of that kinky shit with my cuffs…I want them back!” he laughs. Seungcheol just rolls his eyes and slips them into his back pocket.

“I understand why Seungcheol and Jungkook are dressing up” Namjoon began to say “But why on earth are you dressed like a doctor Jin?” he gestured to the other boy dressed in a doctors white lab coat, a stethoscope looped around his neck.

Jin shrugged his shoulders. “Well, what if Jihoon is hurt when we find him? He’s gonna need a doctor… _medical attention!”_

To his credit, Namjoon didn't make a sound. He exhaled calmly and replied, “But.. you’re **not** a doctor Jin”

Jin lets out a deeply unflattering snort “Yeah…but Jihoon won’t know that!…..I can still comfort him with my medical attire and appearance” he explained, trying to smile encouragingly, but it appeared like more of a cringe. Namjoon’s face turns doubtful, and he crossed his arms over his chest, mouth twisting.

Then Vernon burst through the door, also sporting a costume of his own “And what _the fuck_ are you meant to be?” Namjoon said, eyeing him critically.

“Edward Scissor hands….it’s my Halloween costume, I spent ages on it and I want to wear it more than once! What? Why are these guys are the only ones who are allowed to dress up?”

“Can people please stop dressing up….it’s like the Fucking Village people in here!” Namjoon yelled.

Seungcheol motioned for them to assemble as he haphazardly drew a map on a pad of paper “Let’s go through this once more. Me and Jungkook here will pretend to haul one of you guys in for a….misdemeanor of some kind. That person will create a distraction, allow us to grab a set of keys- then--”

Mingyu shakes his head as he listens to Team B’s part of the plan, the scenario Seungcheol was describing knitted itself together in his mind, and what he was planning sounded ridiculous. He’s not sure if Seungcheol is so wrapped up in his own emotions he hasn’t stopped to consider the consequences of these actions. He's going to be potentially dragging Jungkook and another person in with him, on an insane plan, an _illegal plan_. One which will probably result in **one** or **all** of them being arrested, suspended from college or worse, injured. Mingyu just doesn't like any of those options. The plan doesn't feel solid, there are no guarantees and it's not safe. But these are not things he can say in front of Seungcheol. It is, however, a complicated enough plan that he feels justified in voicing his concerns a little.

“I volunteer as tribute!” Hoshi said, throwing a hand in the air.

Mingyu forces himself to follow this through logically. “That’s very good of you Hoshi… but I don’t think you’re aware of the risks here” he tells Hoshi, turning to face Seungcheol.

“Cheol….After they book him, they’re _going_ to throw him in the lock up…..he’s _going_ to be in jail, probably overnight before they charge or release him. He’s _going_ to be sharing a cell with actual criminals” Mingyu stresses. “Have you thought about any of this?”

Seungcheol stares at him for several seconds, the gaze weighty and considering. He opens his mouth to speak but Hoshi steps in-between them.

“Thanks for your concern Mingyu….but I know what I’m doing” Hoshi says, with unexpected venom. He looks put-upon, like Mingyu is some half-wit he’s struggling to remain patient with. “It won’t be the first time they’ve locked me up. I know the drill….You get booked, they throw you in lock up overnight, waggle their fingers at you in the morning… and then let you go cause they have bigger fish to fry. _Been there…done that_.” He says off handedly.

“You’ve been in lock up before? I can’t believe all this time we’ve been living with a criminal!” DK gasped incredulously. They were all beginning to learn a manner of things about Hoshi they had never been privy to.

“Look…..it was a _minor charge_ ” Hoshi said after a moment, voice turning slightly higher-pitched and slow in the way it did when he was lying through his teeth.

“Hosh…are you sure about this..” Seungcheol began.

“Yes, Hyung. No biggie…I can handle a few hours in a cell if it gets Jihoon back” he sighs, and then he smiles, with something Seungcheol is almost sure is false bravado.

Seungcheol laughed. It was a small laugh, just a short huff of breath, anyone might have mistaken it for a sound of annoyance. “ _Thanks Hoshi….._ I owe you one buddy” he says, ruffling Hoshi’s hair. It might have been the first time Seungcheol looked at Hoshi with fondness, or maybe anything aside from a combination of bemusement and irritation.

Seungcheol turns back to the group and reaffirms their plan “We take Hoshi into custody. When they are processing him, checking for outstanding warrants and fingerprinting him etc, Hoshi can start acting up and getting aggressive. When they’re distracted trying to control him…..I’ll make a grab for the keys and we leg it out of there. Team A will contact us with the details of the registration number-- we call it through to the station. They run the license plate for us and hopefully they track this son of a bitch”

They all nodded in agreement, expect for Mingyu who, personally, thought they were putting entirely too much faith in Hoshi being able to distract a room full of people who are trained to handle firearms. It was one thing to risk your own life, but it was another to risk the lives of your team. “Cheol” Mingyu cuts him off gently, mouth flattened into a familiar thin line of concern “What if they can’t locate the van? What if he’s dumped the vehicle somewhere?” he offered.

But then Seungcheol's face went terribly blank, almost as if he was hurt, and Mingyu felt like he'd punched him in the gut with that assessment of facts. He found himself saying, "It’s a small possibility …but we should consider it" instead, which was a blatant lie, it was a huge possibility. Henry might have been stupid enough to kidnap Jihoon in broad daylight but who’s to say he would repeat that stupidity by leaving the vehicle parked in public for anybody to recognise.

Something in Seungcheol's face softened “I have to try something Mingyu” he says, since he can’t think of anything else, the thought that this might not pan out as he hoped has been clawing its way to the front of his mind “I can’t wait around anymore. Jin-Young was one thing but…. _Henry_ …he’s _obsessed_. I don’t even know what he might do. And I can’t stand around and think about it either. If this all falls through. It was all my idea….ok” he fists his hands on his lap as he continues to speak, determined to follow his plan through to the end. “If it all goes wrong…I’ll take the rap” he said, face fraught with emotion.

“No Cheol…” Namjoon shook his head, mouth tight. When he spoke again, he set his hand on Seungcheol's shoulder, heavy and warm. “It won’t come to that Cheol…..it’s a solid plan….we’ll find the van”

…………………………..

 “Hyung? You okay? You seem Nervous” Hoshi muttered into Seungcheol’s ear as he escorted him across the parking lot to the stations entrance.

Seungcheol’s pretty sure **he** should be the one reassuring Hoshi and not the other way around. He’s also starting to wonder if maybe Hoshi’s having too much fun and doesn’t realise the penalties of getting a police report on his college records. Seungcheol has to muster up more strength than he thought he would need to send Hoshi a weak smile in answer. “Yeah Hosh…..you know what to do. We need a good distraction. Make a scene when the time right…you ready for that?”

Hoshi grinned toothily “Born ready Hyung. I’m actually looking forward to it a little if I’m being honest, something to cross of my bucket list!”

“Getting arrested and thrown in a jail cell is on your bucket list?” Jungkook asks, flanking Hoshi’s other side.

“Yeah! Do you realise how many chicks I’m going to get after this….girls love bad boys!” Hoshi says excitedly.

“Hmmm…yeah but they segregate you in lock up. The only action you might be getting in the immediate future is …..well…. _male_. And if you think about it, you’re _kinda_ jailbait dude” Jungkook explained.

Hoshi’s nostrils flare, he’s almost glad he’s handcuffed because he has the sudden urge to run away. “I’m having second thoughts about this” Hoshi attested.

“Too late!” Seungcheol said, pushing open the police station door, dragging Hoshi in behind him, an arm locked around his elbow. Once inside, Hoshi cast a look at Seungcheol, smiling wickedly over his shoulder. "Don’t smile you moron….you’re meant to be pissed off, nobody wants to get arrested" Seungcheol said, voice close to cracking.

The uniform who had ignored their request for help earlier, was thankfully gone from the front desk when Seungcheol guides Hoshi down the hall to the booking desk, his grip firm but not rough. “Got something for you, officer” Jungkook spoke first. The officer at the front desk looked up slowly and yawned when they approached and stood in front of him.

Seungcheol watches as Hoshi takes a few tentative steps closer towards the desk and Seungcheol just knows shit is about to hit the fan when Hoshi plasters on a big smile and hitches up his pants and sniffs. “Hello Officer Wan” he greets cheerily, shooting the shit like they were buddies or something.

“Remember me?.” Hoshi starts off carefully with a slow smile and- oh God Seungcheol has to close his eyes because yeah this isn’t going to end well.

The desk sergeant narrows his eyes at them “What do we have here?” He eyes Hoshi warily for a moment before giving him a hard look. “You again!”

Hoshi holds up his hand in a  _hey,_ gesture and Seungcheol tenses visibly. Clearly, Hoshi is familiar with the concept of being locked up overnight in a cell if he knows the booking officer. The why of it, though, that’s a mystery even to Seungcheol, but not for long.

“Yeah” Officer Wan says, decidedly unimpressed. “How can I forget…..you did a shit on my windscreen you little punk!”

Seungcheol swallows nervously, not expecting Hoshi to have a history with the police quite that colourful, but thankful that the officer is so engrossed with assessing the other boy, he hasn’t bothered to notice that the 'officers' dragging him in aren’t even from his precinct.

“Listen son….” The officer said in a light tone "This won’t look good when you’re applying for jobs kid….unless you want to be a criminal mastermind” With a sigh he fishes out a book from somewhere underneath the counter, pulls the pen out of his breast pocket, clicks it and leans against the counter. “Alright….Name?”

“Hoshi….. _the Cop Killer!”_   Hoshi enunciates slowly, speaking over Officer Wan’s scathing eye roll.

Seungcheol removed the handcuffs off Hoshi when officer Wan requested him too, and helped guide Hoshi’s hands when he was instructed to press both thumbs on the ink and then the paper. "What are we booking him in for this time?" Officer Wan asked.

“Uhmm…An anonymous tip was called in” Seungcheol began to answer, spinning a story out of thin air. “…..complaining about some delinquent vandalizing property near the college…..” he trailed off, at a loss for words. He’d prepared an entire story on the way over to the station, but in his panicked state, the words are lost and tangled now, meaningless and useless. He’s fairly sure he’s just thrown the whole thing entirely.

"Soliciting a prostitute." Jungkook stepped in, sensing Seungcheol faltering. “And vandalism of property” he added, to make the charge heftier.

“And I had a pound of cocaine in the trunk of my car too!” Hoshi offered, stupidly and cocked an eyebrow and goddammit, what Seungcheol would give to be able to reach over to shut him up before he could say anything else but nope, he had to be professional.

The police officer’s eyebrows skirted sceptically at his hairline. “Oh? _Cocaine_ … ** _really?_** Then…where is it? We need to book it in as evidence.”

“When I realised I was going to be arrested…I shoved it up my butt” Hoshi supplied helpfully and rather graphically, then he turned his head and winked at Seungcheol.

_The little shit winked._

Seungcheol may or may not make a face as he repeats Hoshi’s words in his head, hoping to high heaven that the cop in front of him didn’t notice how red his face was turning. But Hoshi caught Seungcheol's eye and gave him a wicked thumbs up for good measure, and Seungcheol's stomach tightened with something like dread.

“Is that….true?” Officer Wan asks, turning to the two 'cops' standing in front of him. Seungcheol nods in agreement, watching as the officer moves to whisper to another over his shoulder. The taller man, _Sg Win_ , Seungcheol had read on the nameplate of his shirt, says something that has Officer Wan’s jaw ticking visibly from all those feet away. There’s a noticeable shift in his posture, he stands straighter and hold his pen tighter.

They stood studying the group of boys for a moment, long enough that Seungcheol’s skin starts to itch. He averts his gaze uneasy, flicks his eyes around the room, hoping to pinpoint where they stored keys to the cruisers. He noted the other officers in the room were busy filling out paperwork, however kept on eyeballing Hoshi, who kept giving them an ugly glare in return.

Behind him Jungkook clears his throat but Seungcheol doesn’t look over at him, he’s frozen in place fearing that every cop in a five mile radius can probably hear his heart beating. Heat flashed all over his body, sweat collected on his back within seconds.

“Shut him up….he’s giving the game away” Jungkook hissed under his breath

The officer turns to them then, with a puzzled expression, one hand on his hip and the other pointing his pen in a vaguely accusatory manner. “I haven’t seen you guys around before…..” he trails eyeing them suspiciously. Seungcheol clenches his fist, a sudden uproar of nervous butterflies zipping around in his stomach.

Beside him Hoshi obviously decides it’s time for him to make his grand finale, he flails a bit then literally  _droops_  like a leaky balloon on the floor.

Officer Wan’s eyes follow him to the ground “Stand up son…” he commands, looking over the top of the counter at the boy laying on the floor.

“Make me you pig” Hoshi spits out petulantly.

“Listen here you little punk..” Another officer comes from around the desk, a menacing expression on his face, he reaches down and wrenches Hoshi forward by his shirtfront. Hoshi used that moment to start flailing wildly “YOU’LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE YOU PIGS!”

“Calm down!” The officer yells, dragging him off the floor. Another officer moves over to assist and they begin to pull Hoshi towards the lock up. He doesn’t intend to make it easy for them, he lashes out violently in a mess of limbs flailing the way only he can, kicking, screaming and punching as the officers try and retrain him.

“I’M GONNA SKULL FUCK EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU, BRING IT ON!” he yelled tipping over a chair, then a desk, then kicking an officer in the shin.

Jungkook turns away from the scuffle unfolding in front of them to look at Seungcheol who is standing still, dumbstruck and gaping, vocalising a strangled noise.

“Psst..Cheol!” Jungkook hisses, his voice is barely louder than a breath, but it’s enough to snap Seungcheol out of his stupor “ Now’s your chance…the keys…remember why we are here! _”_ he whispered, elbowing Seungcheol in the ribs.

Seungcheol bursts into movement before another officer joins the fight to restrain Hoshi. “Shit….” Seungcheol watched the officers chase Hoshi around the room as he edged closer to the desk. He eyed the mess of folders and papers on the table, kept one eye on the chaos Hoshi was ensuing, while his hand scattered papers carefully, searching for keys. Finding none, he tries to open the drawer under the desk, which is unfortunately locked.

“Pssst….Cheol” Jungkook whistled at him again. Without moving out of his position, he pointed behind him towards the wall by the desk. Subconsciously Seungcheol spots the key cabinet mounted on the wall before his mind registers it.

There is an assortment of keys dangling off hooks on display. Conveniently, there are small white labels above each hook, labelling them. He leans forward cautiously, keeping an eye out even though Jungkook is standing in front of him, blocking his actions from prying eyes. He grabs a set labelled Patrol 344.

Across the way, Hoshi is kicking up a fuss. “I HAVE RIGHTS! I DEMAND A LAWYER. I HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT….BUT I WAIVE THAT RIGHT, RAPE! RAPE!” The outright scandalized tone of his voice makes Seungcheol bite the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning.

Even the largest of the officers seemed to have his hands full, trying to restrain Hoshi’s arms, he had a broken nose and was bleeding from his mouth. Another officer has a bloodied mouth and a swollen cheek and the other had no injuries visible, but judging by the wincing and how’s he’s cupping his groin, he’s in pain. "Pin him down" The one with the swollen cheek growled.

……………………………

Seconds later, Seungcheol and Jungkook burst through the station’s front door, their hearts pounding almost as loudly as the noise coming from behind him, running just fast enough to escape notice, nearly tripping over themselves down the steps and rounding the corner to where the patrol vehicles are parked.

"Man, that was a great distraction" says Jungkook, falling into step beside Seungcheol outside the station, beaming a smile and vibrating energy. "For a minute there I thought that guy had sussed we were fakes….."

“Yeah….” Seungcheol puffed. They managed to signal at Hoshi just before they exited, alerting him to their success in acquiring a set of keys. Seungcheol feels a twinge of regret about leaving him behind at the mercy of the five police officers he’s just scuffled with. They would return for him when this was all over.

Blinking back into the moment, Seungcheol could still hear the blood pumping in his ears. They sped around the corner, and immediately spotted the patrol vehicle, emblazoned with the figures 344 on the side. Not even slowing a bit as he reached it, Seungcheol wrenches open the driver’s door, dives into the deep leather seat, pulls the door shut behind him and takes a moment to buckle up. Because hey, he may be stealing a police car, but safety first.

 Then Jungkook is yelling ‘Drive, drive!!’ as he settles into the passenger seat.

Seungcheol unlocked the parking brake and peeled out of the parking spot. Looking at the rear-view mirror, as he pulled away, checking for a uniform behind them. But there was none. "Floor it, floor it" Jungkook bit out, then added, louder, "Go-go-go" He glanced around quickly, half-worried a cop was going to pop out from the back seat or something.

Seungcheol floors it, sending gravel spewing from under the tires briefly before lurching forward and continuing onwards.

…………….

Seungcheol lowers his speed as they approach their turn off, cutting elegantly through traffic and curving corners with deadly ease. He relaxed fractionally once they had put a good distance between them and the police station, enough to be cautiously optimistic that their plan had succeeded. A sudden punch to his arm surprised him so much, Seungcheol almost ended up in the opposite lane. “What the effing hell Kookie, I–” he growled, swivelling his head around to face Jungkook, words of reprimand on the tip of his tongue, before he was interrupted by Jungkook whooping delightedly next to him.

“Wooohooo! That was fucking amazing!” Jungkook screamed. “Oh my god!”

Another hard punch to his arm had Seungcheol tearing his eyes back to the road, scrambling to right the car and drive as discreetly as possible.

“Wooohoooo FUCKING A!. Oh my god…we just stole a police car!” Jungkook hollered out the window.

“Will you calm the fuck down, we’re not clear yet” Seungcheol yells over the rush of wind from the open window, reaching over to drag Jungkook back into his seat. “We don’t want to draw attention to ourselves!” he points out, frowning as he maneuvers his way through the serpentine traffic, before spotting their exit, clicking on the turn signal and checking his mirrors and changing lanes.

“This is the coolest thing I have ever done……I love college” Jungkook proclaims, his big dark eyes lighting up with glee, reaching to fidget with the various buttons on the dash. Seungcheol looks at him like he’s crazy and says as much, but slaps Jungkook’s hand away when he reaches over to flip the siren on “Not yet you idiot…..we don’t want attention”

“Oh, shit…sorry. I’m just so pumped….that was awesome” He said excitedly, then his face dropped and his eyes widened a fraction “Oh-fuck!” he swears again, an edge of fear in his voice.

Seungcheol returns his focus on the road then and tenses up visibly as they pass another police car driving in the opposite direction. “Shit-shit-shit-shit” he curses in rhythm with the heart pounding in his chest.

Beside him, Jungkook shifts uncomfortably in his seat, he inhales harshly as the cruiser passes them, then breathes out a huge sigh of relief when it moves on without incident. “How long do you think it will be before they notice one of their cruisers is missing?” Jungkook asks shakily.

Seungcheol falls silent for a moment, mouth pursed in a line, fingers tapping lightly on the wheel. “Does it matter?” he manages to say after his heart rate slows to normal and his hands can stop shaking, words more a statement than a question. “Hoshi’s giving them a run for their money, by the time they calm him down we’ll get what we need”

………………………….

The drive back to their rendezvous spot was a blur. Seungcheol’s mind was working overtime formulating plan after plan, one worst case scenario after another. When the drove up Greek row, he dimmed the lights and whirled into a narrow street bordered by high trees around the corner from the Beta-Tau Sigma chapter house. Dusk was falling, and the dwindling light of the sun failed to light up the street they'd just turned into, providing perfect cover for their stolen Vehicle. Tucking the car into the street's dead end, Seungcheol acted quickly, cutting the engine, pulling the brakes and turning off the headlights.

Namjoon, Jimin, Jin, Mingyu, Vernon, Seungkwan and DK jumped out of the bushes they were waiting in. “Holy shit….you did it….FUCK!” Namjoon applauded, giving a jaunty wave as he emerged from the shrubbery they were hiding in. “I can’t believe you guys pulled that off….good job Kookie” he commended, patting Jungkook on the back as he climbed out of the cruiser.

“Has team A been in contact?” Seungcheol asks, climbing out and stalking around the front of the car. He looks the way he did when he was beating Jin-Young senseless, his jaw too tight and his eyes too wild. Adrenaline was still rushing through his veins from earlier.

Jin glanced at his wristwatch “No, but soon. Hoseok was calling in some favors with a friend of his to access the database. We should have the details any minute now” he assured.

“While we are waiting…..can I get a picture with you guys?” Jimin asked hopefully, moving to stand in-between the two boys clad in their police uniform, and before they could approve, he held up his phone to took a selfie, the sudden flash blinding the three of them.

“Dear God Jimin….I already told you this isn’t the time!” Namjoon berated, moving across to pull Jimin away.

Jimin danced away from his hold “Oh come on, we have time. We’re just waiting around, it will only take a sec! How many chances will I get to take a photo with two hot cops?” He said, shaking Namjoon off. He cleared his throat then gestured to Seungcheol “Seungcheol…Can you like…pose on the car bonnet?”

Seungcheol blinks at him, stunned, then recovered and levels an unimpressed look at Jimin “Uhm…how about **_No_** ”

Jimin scrunched his face up in disappointment. “Ok….uhmm…can you like…pretend to frisk me?” he tried again, his eyebrows raising suggestively.

“No” Seungcheol repeats gruffly, annoyance rising as the adrenaline wore off.

“Geeze alright…chill” Jimin remarks as he pouts pointedly. “What about if you pretend to frisk Jungkookie instead?”

Seungcheol deflates and runs a tired hand down his face. He wrinkles his nose, and proceeds to ignore Jimin “I’m really sorry about this,….Jimin has no chill …or jams” Jungkook explained, smiling wanly and giving Seungcheol a pat on the shoulder .

When both boys fail to respond to his request, Jimin threw his hands in the air and sighed “Fine…just one of you press me against the car and pretend to cuff me!” he rasped, scowling and impatient.

“That’s enough you pervert!” Jin said, cuffing him over the back of his head. Jimin stormed off, muttering something under his breath and shooting them all a look that could have curdled milk.

………………………..

Once Henry had finished styling Jihoon’s hair to his liking, he held the mirror out for Jihoon to inspect his work, he slammed it down on the basin following Jihoon’s lack of interest. Then he spent an age just standing there, petting his head. It’s strangely a more friendly and companionable gesture than perverse or erotic, but it still makes Jihoon’s skin crawl.

Henry still doesn't look happy with him or even excited with the outcome. He just looks mildly amused. “I thought I would feel better after I restored your natural hair colour…..it’s strange I feel _nothing._ The fingers at Jihoon’s temple move slowly, tracing the border of his face.

“Perhaps it’s because your transformation isn’t … _complete_ ” Henry’s voice lowers, ripe with dangerous promise.

Jihoon tenses once those words leave his mouth. “I’m not a fucking bird Henry--I’m not one of your stupid _pet projects.”_ Jihoon told him firmly, his brain throbbing against the walls of his skull.

Henry manages to crack a faint smile, then sighs.

“I realize that you may not be from any Avian species _currently_ recorded in the textbooks” Henry was looking at him, his gaze level, the shadows making his face seem gaunt and sharp. “But from the moment I met you, I sensed you were familiar to me somehow. The more and more I studied you, the more you reminded me of a baby bird, small and inexperienced, still nesting but growing it’s feathers and preparing to take its first flight. **_A Fledgling_** ”

“I’ve enjoyed watching you fledge, grow in confidence, enjoying all these new experiences. It’s almost as if I myself, have lived vicariously through you. But you see, once a fledgling leaves the nest, there is no guarantee it will return. I then came to the stunning realization that you would be moving on soon, probably to nest with that oaf you call a boyfriend” Henry whispered fiercely, a sharp surge of electricity in the darkened room. “And that thought… _sickened me_. I want to preserve you as you are now. A little Fledgling, growing up, emerging from the nest- **but not quite there.** And I have the tools to help me achieve that ambition- _right here_ ”

“You’re a freak! I feel sorry for your family but they’re probably frea-” Jihoon spat.

He doesn't get to finish the word, because Henry’s hand is around his throat. Jihoon backs up quickly enough that he raps his head against the wall, because Henry’s hand is cold, steel _cold_ , what the fuck is this he holding in his hand.

After a lifetime of standing still, eyes squeezed shut in fear, Jihoon cracks one eye open to look.

Henry has still got his eyes open. Unblinking, too wide, still staring at Jihoon. This is not the way Henry usually looks at him, shy, kind and fascinated. This is too hard, insistent- maybe even angry. And the open-unblinking eyes are too creepy to keep looking at. “Wh-what are you do-doing?” Jihoon says, furious with himself for stuttering. Jihoon swallows hard against the hand at his throat and tries to muster up some dignity in his position. His breathing is shallow now, little gasps that pepper the still air of the room.

Henry’s eyes dart across his face, jerking Jihoon’s chin up to look him in the eye. When Jihoon does meet his eyes, Henry almost recoils at the sight, stepping back almost violently. Both of the hands on his throat ease up a little and Jihoon takes a breath.

"No-no…no" Henry begins, shaking his head furiously. Jihoon swallows and then shoves him away. He touches his throat to check is he’s been cut or sliced, but it feels normal. Henry was close to doing something but he stopped. "You’re eyes are too bright-too much life in them” Henry steps back without further fight. His staring eyes don't blink, they just narrow a fraction.

Jihoon tries to orient himself. He's still leaning against the wall, gasping, stupidly intimidated and out of his depth. But capable—more than—of making his own decisions, saying what he wants with his own words and taking responsibility for them. Jihoon licks his lips to moisten them, taking the moment to search for courage."That’s because I am alive….I am a living person" Jihoon corrects.

“Not for long” Henry’s answer is quick and rapier-sharp.

Jihoon’s afraid to close his eyes because this psycho, this stranger who looks in some ways like his room-mate , is walking along next to the long wooden tool bench, sliding his hand over the materials he has laid out there. Jihoon runs his eyes over the bench, taking note of the stock: spools of galvanized wire, Styrofoam sheets, polythene gloves, modelling clay, beeswax, syringes, pliers, cutters, paintbrushes, paint pots and needles of all shapes and sizes laid out neatly. Henry traces his fingertips over the tools carefully, whilst watching Jihoon intently.  Jihoon is estimating where he rests his hand will either be a promise or a threat of what was to come next.

He completed his circuit of their space and stood where he’d first begun, his face made ghostly by the intensity of the fluorescent lighting overhead.

“In my haste to pack my belongings I see, to have misplaced a few of my items. No bother. I will be able to purchase them nearby. Is there anything I can get for you to make your stay more comfortable little bird?”

“Yeah…..go lie down on the train tracks….walk off a cliff….go fuck yourself!” Jihoon spat, running an agitated hand through his hair.

Henry gives a half-choked laugh, equal parts mockery and mirth “So discourteous Jihoon….you should have better manners in your position. Perhaps I should punish you” Henry says, and he moves back to stand near the bench. He leans over to pick up a steel pole, sharpened at the tip, and begins polishing it carefully but quickly. Henry’s fingers scraped along the sharp end of the pole, then dropped away. He immediately spun around to face Jihoon, who braced himself, fully expecting to be impaled with it.

Jihoon can hear his own breath coming too harshly. Henry may be a lot of things, a loner, a freak of nature, a recluse. Jihoon was okay with that, not everybody can be a social butterfly like Seungkwan, but Henry is now proving he is clearly ten times more fucked up than Jihoon had ever thought, and that he might hurt him now. In fact, he's sure of it.

Jihoon’s heart is lodged in his throat now, and there is a mortifying burn behind his eyes “Please don’t hurt me Henry….” he sobs.

Something changes in Henry's expression then, a subtle flicker that hardens and smoothens into stony granite. “Ahh….there… you see….you **do** have some manners. That is good. I would hate to start your transformation too early and make a mistake in spite.” He laughed, placing the pole down again.

Jihoon is trembling with fear, with grief, with a whole scale of emotions he’s never felt before “I don’t want a transformation….I like the way I am….please Henry just let me go!” He cried.

"My dear Jihoon, please stop this" Henry says, his tone still mocking, a challenge. "Life can be so miserable, twists and turns just when you think everything is going well, it’s so cruelly unpredictable and I fear you won’t have the strength to handle it. Wouldn’t you prefer to be immortalized in art so that you don’t have to live through the pain of it all. Pain of rejection and loneliness. Do you really think, your precious ‘Cheol’ is going to care for you forever like I can? He will abandon you once he tires of you….. and.. you’ll be so used to being shielded by him, your wings will be so weak, you could only struggle to lift off the ground before falling"

“Seungcheol is **going** to find me” Jihoon says, sober as a judge, even as tears stream down his cheeks. “Seungcheol is coming for me….I know he is…..you’ll be sorry” he says, the words sliding out on a quavering breath as he wills himself to hold eye contact with his abductor.

Henry watches him as if he’s weighing his words very cautiously “Perhaps, he’s very possessive of you and I must admit that your capture was a little sloppy on my part. I’ve been carefully planning for months but unfortunately I had to bring my schedule forward when I misjudged some potential allies. It’s been very frustrating, despite all this so called ‘Fraternity Rivalry’ they speak of, I struggled to find a single Fraternity Chapter willing to go up against .. _Choi Seungcheol._ I have gone to great pains to cover my tracks but I can’t be certain he won’t catch up with me-I just hope he’s dull enough to let his aggression get the better of him. That should slow him down enough to let me complete my-project”

Henry, moves behind the plastic tarp then and when he emerges a few seconds later, he has a mask over his face and he’s wearing a dark trench. “I won’t be long Jihoon, I promise. But take this opportunity to consider my offer. We can begin this journey together amicably, or…. _forcefully._ The decision is yours.” He finishes, bowing with a flourish.

Jihoon watches him leave, pulling the heavy door shut behind him. The sound of fading footsteps allowing him to relax, to breathe freely again and his shoulder slump

He glances around the room, at the objects placed neatly on the bench, all out of reach- except for two. The mirror Henry has left out near the basin and the vat of formaldehyde, marked FLAMMABLE. Jihoon stares at them and a plan came to him fluidly.

……………………………………..

Reaching the bench takes Jihoon longer than he wants it to. But he is cautions of the noise the chain makes as it drags along the floor boards and he has to carefully carry it looped over his shoulder, releasing it as he takes each step as not to alert Henry to his movements. When he reaches the bench, he slowly drops the chain to the ground and reaches out for the mirror on the bench and pockets it.

Next, he lowers the vat of formaldehyde to the ground, tips it over on its side and unscrews the cap, the acidic, vinegar like odor assaults his senses almost immediately as the fluid gushes out of the small opening. His fingers are trembling a little by the time he's done, with a mix of adrenaline and fear. He stands back, watching the liquid seep across the floor boards and down in between the cracks to the level below. Only then does he take out the mirror and holds it out against the beams of dying sunlight flowing through the small windows, trying to angle the light onto the spill below. He has to stand on his tip toes to reach the strongest piercing beam of light, his calves and ankles strain with the effort of supporting him in that position. But it pays off, when the lick of flame ignites on the surface of spill and quickly spreads across the floor and crawling up the walls.

Jihoon watches from the safety of the wall, as the fire engulfs the second portion of the room, catching on the second vat of Formaldehyde and melting the plastic, until it too erupts in a spill of flames. He watches as the birds hanging from the ceiling catch fire one by one, the mixture of embalming fluid used to preserve them from the decay of time failing to preserve them from the effects of fire, it all feels so sickly apt.

He listens to the door below banging open, heavy footsteps trailing up the stairs and soon Henry bursts through the doors across from him, a bag in his hands which he instantly drops as he surveys the damage Jihoon has caused in his absence.  The top half of the room is quickly filling with smoke and Jihoon can't see his reaction in its entirety, although he wishes too but Henry sends him a look of pure fury, teeth gritted and bare in tightly reigned-in anger. It's too foggy to read his expression with accuracy but he can easily hear Henry howl in rage.

……………………………..

 

Jungkook and Seungcheol were both perusing the cruiser’s radio manual, when the phone call came from Team A.

“Hold up….incoming call from Wonwoo!” Vernon notified them, scrambling to answer his phone. Seungcheol could hear Wonwoo’s indistinct warbling murmur through the phone reading off details They supplied Vernon with a pad and paper when he gestured for it and watched him scribble down some figures. Got it!” he claimed, ripping the page out of the notepad, handing the paper over to Seungcheol hastily.

Seungcheol unclipped the radio from its station “Okay……here goes nothing”

 **Seungcheol:** Patrol 344, Traffic.

 **Dispatch:** 344, go ahead.

 **Seungcheol:** License check, At lakeside, College campus. Golf-Zulu-Alpha, Four, two, seven, Black Honda Van, 1 or 2 occupants.

 **Dispatch:** Standby

Now there wasn't anything to do but wait, Seungcheol's least favourite part. Patience is a trait he has never been good at cultivating. Thankfully, they didn’t have to wait for long.

 **Dispatch:** 344, copy.

 **Seungcheol:** 344, go ahead

Unfortunately the licence plate came back clean, But Seungcheol learns, through some artfully placed questions, that the car is registered to an address in the city, near the train station.

“Ok….I didn’t get a word of that, what does any of that mean?” Seungkwan said, flipping through the radio code book to translate the message from dispatch.

“The van is registered at an address At junction 11, near the train station. That’s where we need to go” Seungcheol supplied helpfully, clipping the radio back into place.

“Great….now. I think we should leave the cruiser back to the police station…maybe try and recover Hoshi” Mingyu suggested tentatively. He chances a glance out of the corner of his eye at Seungcheol, finding him stiff-backed and stonily silent, miles away in thought. “Cheol….don’t you think we should return the car…before they come looking for it?”

Mingyu knows the answer before Seungcheol even opens his mouth to respond, the gradual tensing of the muscles of his back a resounding **no.** Just then the radio static picked up again. The dispatcher spoke again, tone suddenly fervent and urgent.

 ** Dispatch:  ** _344, copy!_

Seungcheol rushed to grab the radio.

 **Seungcheol:** 344, go ahead

 **Dispatch:** We have a report of a 10-41 (Suspicious fire) Code 4, (Vacant building under construction, demolition) Vehicle matching description and license plates registered to sight. 10-47 required, do you copy. (Police response required)

 **Seungcheol:** 344, I’m clear and direct. 10-4 (OK). Patrol 344 is 10-17 (en-route).

Seungcheol slammed the radio back into its station. “Hoshi is gonna have to wait! Quickly Get in, get in!, we’re moving out” he yelled, practically wrenching the passenger door off the car when he opened it. “Move-move-move!” he commanded, gesturing for them to climb in.

“What’s going on?!” Seungkwan started to panic, watching as the group flustered, trying to decide who would go with them in the patrol car.

“There’s a fire in the building the car is registered to-it’s near the station….meet us there!” Seungcheol shouted out through the window as he revved the engine. He barely waited for Namjoon, Jin and Mingyu to get seated before slamming the pedal and pulling out of the alleyway.

“Ok…go! Take care!” Seungkwan called after them, seconds before Seungcheol peeled away from the curb.

As they sped down the block, Jungkook nudged Seungcheol in the arm gently, looking at him with wide eyes and gesturing to the siren switch “Can we……”

Seungcheol darted a glance to Jungkook, replying an affirmative nod.“Yeah alright…you can turn the siren on”

Jungkook’s attitude does a total one eighty, going from forlorn looking puppy to mischievous imp. “Woooooohooo” He cheered, flipping the siren on as they speeded over a ramp. Namjoon had barely contained his eye roll and snort when Jungkook stuck his head out the window like an excited puppy.

“GET YOUR HEAD BACK IN THE CAR YOU LITTLE SHIT!” Jin hollered.

……………………………………..

The air feels constricted, tight, too thick with smoke. It’s hard to breathe, and Jihoon has to consciously force himself to take low, shallow breaths. But with each breath he takes he can feel the smoke descend in his chest, turning into a grey sludge of death he can taste at the back of his throat. The room is poorly ventilated with the awnings shut, already the smoke is filling Jihoon's lungs and making his gasp. It’s also, understandably, a few degrees hotter than it was before and combined with his extreme state of dehydration, he begins to feel faint.

A cold numbness swept through him, starting at deep in his lungs and radiating through the rest of his body. The ground rushed up toward him, but he couldn't feel when he hit it and rolled over, staring straight up at Henry's horrified face through the smoke and flames as he scrambled around with a small fire extinguisher, in a futile attempt at dousing the flames. Darkness crept into the corners of Jihoon’s vision as he lay there, coughing and gasping. Then it all turned dark.

………………………………

“Slow down Cheol!”Mingyu screamed from the backseat, hand gripping the head rest in front of him for dear life as the car swerved dangerously around a sharp bend.

“You’re going to get us killed!” Jin wailed, eyes shut with fear.

“Yeehaaa!” Jungkook cheered, oblivious to the danger.

“Nearly—there!” Seungcheol bit out, taking another sharp turn and flooring the gas pedal.

“THERE!” Namjoon shouted out, banging on the window “There it us…..fuck….” he gasped.

Seungcheol swung the car through traffic, the cars ahead of them pulling in to make way for the flashing sirens of the cruiser. The car screeched to a halt behind a bus, there was no more room for them to drive forward were a police cordon had been set up to direct traffic away from the fire.

They can just about make out the building in question, between the lanes of parked cars, a short distance ahead. Smoke is billowing out of the upper windows as flames lick the paint, colouring it a marbled black. A crash sounds somewhere to the right of the building, and dust trickles down from the ceiling as the roof collapses. No one talks for the moment, eyes fixed on the structure, the flames are so bright and vivid.

_Jihoon_

Seungcheol swallows hard against the tightness of his throat, then he kicks open his door and bolts out of the car.

“CHEOL!” the others call out to him, but he’s already sprinting ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a few things.  
> 1) I Know.....i jump from angst to definitely not angst a lot here. But with all the crap Jihoon has to go through....I didn't want this to be one bummer of a chapter. I hate angst. Wanted to keep it light.  
> 2) Seriously...I have had dreams about police officer Jungkook and Cheol teaming up. Had o write it. Sorry-not sorry.  
> 3) Jimin has no jams. Sorry had to include that too.  
> 4) OMG how hard is it to write about big groups of people? So fucking hard. DO you gives lines to everyone? Sometimes it feels like everyone is just standing their silently as I read this back to myself but I can't have everyone talking and giving their opinion....otherwise it would just be huge chunks of dialogue. I'm pretty sure I've left somebody out, like I left Hoseok out in the last chapter...whoops. So just imagine them all teaming up, they are all there but some of them are quieter than others.....lol.  
> 5) Their car stealing plan was a little crazy....I know. But I couldn't think of another way to move forward that i was happy with.....also...I really wanted them to dress as cops again.  
> Hope you enjoy!


	23. It's a long story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fire!!!!

Seungcheol stood at the foot of the building, behind the police barrier, taking note of all the exits and entrances he could see through the smoke. He hadn’t even ventured inside yet but was already struggling to see; the heat and the soot blurring his vision and making his eyes were water.

“Cheol!” Namjoon shouted out, running up to him “Please tell me you’re not planning on running in there” he says, afraid of the answer. This is a  _very_  bad idea.

“I’ll be quick….but if I don’t come out…don’t send anyone in after me.” Seungcheol says over his shoulder, making a few quick strides around the barrier.

Mingyu is right on his heels, and he stops Seungcheol with a surprisingly firm grip on the elbow. “You can’t just run in their Cheol the **_building is on fire_** ….even **if** Jihoon is in there— _which we can’t be sure of_ —It’s dangerous and we need to wait for the fire brigade!”

“Mingyu— ** _the building is on fire!”_** Seungcheol reminds him needlessly, when he turns to face him fully. “That’s the van Henry used to kidnap him” he points to the abandoned black van with the matching licence plate at the side of the road “ _He’s in there_ …if I wait…and something happens to Jihoon…I’ve got **_nothing_** ”

“If you’re going in there, take this” Jungkook says, handing over a bandana “To shield your face from the smoke fumes!” he explains. Jungkook’s mouth opens like he wants to say something else, but he shuts it fast when Seungcheol ties it around his face and gives him a thumbs up.

“Cheol….I can’t let you do this” Mingyu says as Seungcheol turns to stride away again, but Mingyu circles around him, moving quicker than Seungcheol remembers him being, probably out of a mixture of adrenaline and desperation.

Seungcheol looks into Mingyu’s eyes and tries not to think it could be the last time. He knows Mingyu won’t let him pass without a fight, but he doesn’t have time for that. He grips Mingyu by the shoulders firmly “Sorry Mingyu…we’ll look back at this and laugh” and before Mingyu can ask what he means Seungcheol brings his knee up in one quick harsh jerk, straight between his legs. Mingyu doubles over, the wind knocked out of him and Seungcheol shoves him to the side, striding past him easily.

……………………………..

“Fuck—fuck—fuck” he slips around the corner, and takes the stairs three steps at a time, breath heavy with exertion. He coughs into his arm and wipes the back of his hand over the bandana, black soot blossoms on the pristine colour like a sick flower, growing in death. The air is stifling with smoke and heat and the higher the climbs the denser it gets. The first floor is barren, just rows upon rows of empty crates and barrels that haven’t caught fire yet but will most likely accelerate the blaze once they do. When he pokes his head up the stairway he can see smoke billowing out of the upper level, probably where the fire originated.  
  
As he makes it to the second level, a thunderous crash from up ahead makes his heart hammer twice, loud and in dread. He slips into the view of the doorway just as that the ceiling above creaks and crumbles, caving in and he hurls himself back into the stairwell as a beam comes crashing down in the spot he stood seconds earlier. He jumps up quickly and cranes his neck into the room, swirls of dust clouding his vision but he can see that the ceiling above has partially caved in on one side, debris dropping down from the third floor. His side throbbed, and he suddenly became aware that his arm hurt enough to make his eyes water, on examination he could see a large gash down the side of his forearm, blood ebbing from the wound. He unwraps the bandana around his neck, tears it in two and wraps one end around the wound to staunch the bleed.

He gingerly picks a metal pole that had landed near his feet. If he strains his ears, he can hear sounds coming from the room above over the roaring fire, hoarse yells and pleas in the same voice. He wraps the second portion of the bandana around his mouth more tightly and proceeds forward up the stairwell, edging towards the door leading to the last floor, pausing frequently to catch his breath and shift debris.

The minute he steps through the door:  there are three things that leap to the fore of Seungcheol’s mind and nearly send him into hysteria.  
  
First:  There is a raging fire blazing in the far end of the room, the floor boards half way across the space have given way, crumbling to dust and leaving a gap between the two levels, preventing the fire from travelling closer but not stopping the smoke from floating in. _The fire has spread to the floor below,_ his mind immediately supplies.  
  
Second: The roof is crumbling on one edge, smoke billowing out of the gap in the cement. The wooden beams are barely supporting the structure anymore and have blackened and charred to ash. Blazing splinters mark the path where an accelerant was used to start a fire, that has ripped through one half of the building, destabilising the structure. The smell is overpowering, and Seungcheol has to shut his eyes and clench his fists while nausea abates. A bench has been overturned on the side, a discarded fire extinguisher, several blunt tools, paint pots and spools of wire are haphazardly scattered on the floor.  
  
The third, darkening and nullifying the other two, is the single most terrifying thing Seungcheol has ever experienced: there is a small body, face down in the corner of the room immediately ahead of him.

_Jihoon?_

Seungcheol almost trips over himself, in his urgency to reach him. He holds his breath, hands shaking as he reaches out for Jihoon, small body slumped on the floor. He could swear Jihoon’s skin under the glow from the flames is the wrong colour somehow – different from its usual fragile-looking, milky pallor. It’s sallow, waxen; lifeless, the way people look in caskets— _In death._ He feels tears sting his eyes, maybe from the smoke assaulting his eyes, but most likely from the fear residing in his chest.

He curls a hand around Jihoon’s arm, turning him carefully. He isn’t cold though, Jihoon’s skin is warm to the touch. His hands come up immediately to cup at the curve of Jihoon’s neck, and the bile that rises at the back of his throat subsides when he finds the soft thump of his pulse still there, firm and warm to the touch, entirely alive.

He smooths a thumb over the boys cheek, rubs a little at some of the soot with his thumb, only to leave a darker smudge in its wake.

He needs to get Jihoon out of there and fast.

He examines the restrains around his ankles, a bolted lock, rusty but rigid and strong. He turns to check where the chain is bolted into the wall and tugs on it experimentally, the shackle grinds but doesn’t budge. He thinks about trying to rip it off the wall with force and stands to take a grip of the chain to try.

“Double bolted….I’m pleased to say you have no chance” Henry exclaims, before Seungcheol can even put what he’s planning into action.

Seungcheol grips the metal pole firmly in his hand as he turns to face him. Henry is standing over the gap in the floor, a link of keys in one hand, a knife in the other and pointed towards Seungcheol.  
  
Despite the cloth wrapped around his mouth, the smoke is already burning Seungcheol's throat, so it must be doing a number on Henry’s vision because his eyes are raw red, and he’s blinking rapidly trying to clear them “You can’t have him….He’s mine!” He rasps. The white of Henry’s grin flashes across the dark of his soot-blackened face like lightning, and disappears just as fast. “I had this all planned out so well….had you figured out. But Jihoon surprised me with… ** _this”_** he said, throwing his arms up in the air. “All my little pet projects…. _my friends_ … have perished. He’s all I have left now. So I can’t let you take him” he finishes, coughing violently into his jacket sleeve.

“Henry” Seungcheol breathes, lowering his metal pole. He instinctively steps closer towards Henry, and only stops short at the look in his eyes, cold and unforgiving. He can feel the planks on the remaining part of the floor starting to split and crack already; the wood under their soles shifts and sinks with every step. “Don’t do this Henry…..Jihoon’s innocent” Seungcheol tries. It’s the wrong thing to say, because Henry’s eyes blaze with anger.

“He’s innocent now…. but you’ll taint him!” Henry seethes, eyes hard and trained on Seungcheol, unforgiving and harsh. “I wanted to preserve him!”

“Just….give me the key—please” Seungcheol pleads, stepping forward, one palm turned up, extending a hand calmly.

Henry cocks his head to one side, as if in deliberation. The key chain in his hand gleams as he toys with it absentmindedly. Nodding, as if arriving at a decision, Henry sheathes the key chain in his jacket pocket as he raises his knife “I’m not going to make this easy on you…I know your type. You just take whatever you want…you’re all the same. You see something precious and you wreck it, you destroy everything you touch-I won’t let that ha-“

 **“Enough”** Seungcheol cuts of the streaming monologue of words that fall from Henry’s lips, feeling strangely numb and hollow. He vaguely notes that he must be going into shock, because his voice sounds distant to his ears when he tells Henry “Nobody has to die here Henry….just…. give me the key”

"Nobody has to die" Henry echoes, and his harsh bark of laughter is jarring and disconcerting. “He’s only leaving with you….. _over my dead body”_  
  
Seungcheol huffs a dismal little laugh. _“If that’s what it takes”_ he says, voice chillingly monotone and posture relaxed and calm as he reaches for the metal pole again. He walks over the creaking floorboards, tilting his head to crack the bones in his neck and advances.  
  
……………………..

“Oh god!” Seungkwan gasped, lurching out of the taxi that had brought them as close as permissible to the police barrier. He recognized the familiar shape of Mingyu standing a good distance across from the inferno. “Are they in there?” he yelled, running towards Mingyu frantically.

Mingyu inclined his head towards Seungkwan, nodding it. He smoothed the frown he could feel on his face, forcing his body under his absolute control;  _Seungcheol is taking too long, he should have been back by now._ The fire was already licking at the surrounding buildings and piece by piece the structure was beginning to weaken and crumble.

“Where are the fire brigade?” Seungkwan asked.

“Apparently this is not a priority…..because it’s an abandoned building waiting demolition. Jungkook just called it in over the police radio, explaining that there are people inside so they’re on their way now” Namjoon explains.

“Where is Cheol?” Seungkwan asked, tugging on Mingyu’s jacket desperately. Mingyu is just gazing at building with his brow furrowed and those grim lines on either side of his mouth. “Oh…god…he’s inside?” he gasped on the verge of panic.

Seungkwan tightened his grip on Mingyu as an ominous groan came from the building. Moments later, the top level of the building collapsed completely, plumes of dust mushrooming out over the sidewalks as onlookers gasped. The group stuttered in shock and disbelief.

 ** _“Oh, fuck!”_** Jungkook concludes, panting harshly, holding his arm over his face to shield himself from the wave of heat, ash and dust overwhelming him.  Distantly, they can hear the soft wail of sirens, they think about the fire engines and ambulances on their way, but it doesn’t help. Their imaginations were already coming up with excuses: _Seungcheol made it out, there is another exit, there must be._

Mingyu ran his hand across his eyes, shook his head to shake the dust from his hair. Namjoon came up to hold his shoulder. “Mingyu” he could hear the fear in his voice and it made him swallow thickly.

Then

A figure stumbled out of the flames, emerging through the fog of smoke, coated so thickly with black soot that only the whites of his eyes were visible. And cradled in his arms, a smaller body.

………………………….

Jihoon is floating.  
  
There are noises around him; sounds that roll and mesh and may even be words. He hears raised voices, shouts and swears and threats, but for all he knows, it might all equally be his imagination or the roar of fire in his ears.

Someone is here. The voice is concerned, sort of tentative. For a moment, Jihoon forgets how to move his body, how to respond. The noises grow louder, furious voices pitched low but growing in volume.

 He feels weightless suddenly, the firm pressure of the ground lifts, replaced with the feeling of strong arms carrying him as deafening crashes and sirens wail around him. Then those arms are gone and he shivered, suddenly feeling a lot cooler as he was laid down. He feels movement –he’s being wheeled somewhere  and he can feel the sudden presence of medics checking his pulse and preparing to shift him to a gurney.

 He is vaguely aware of bright lights above him, white and glaring, he groans a little, trying to communicate his displeasure. _‘ He’s responsive’_ he can hear somebody say.

 _‘Excuse me, sir, but you’re going to have to ride separately. Only family members and partners go in the ambulance_ ’ he hears, the sound distant. The syllables garble together, twisted and sharp before unravelling again, and Jihoon can make them out.  _I’m riding with him to the hospital or you’re not taking him._

There is a warm pressure on his hand as something settles into his palm, snug and solid, but it feels far away. Soon he feels himself being jostled from side to side, small shifts in his body and something placed over his face, a sharp pain in his arm and down his throat but the lights are brighter and the air is stiller.

Sound fades, and Jihoon faintly registers the snap of a door closing. The warm weight in his palm readjusts itself, enfolding his hand in a tighter grip. He hears an exhaled sigh, loud and long, and is blearily acquainted of a light whisper of a touch being traced and feathered across his eyelids and cheek.

 _“Kitten”_ he hears, before he slips away from the noise and light.

……………………………………

The machine next to Jihoon’s bed  **beeps**  again. Seungcheol wishes he knew what the hell it meant, but Jihoon keeps breathing smoothly, and no nurses come running in with adrenaline shots or defibrillators so he figures it’s a good sound.

Seungcheol is still holding Jihoon’s hand, and he rubs it between his palms as if to warm it now and again, stopping occasionally to press a soft kiss to the small hand. He tries not to watch Jihoon’s unconscious features obsessively when he does it, scanning for a reaction that he knows isn’t there, tries to keep his fingers from wandering the pale, silken skin on the inside of his wrist to find the pulse that he knows  _is_.

Once they stabilise him, getting him breathing healthily again with fresh oxygen flowing through his lungs, a nurse comes in with a cart full of wipes and washcloths to clean him up, to wipe the dirt and ash staining his porcelain skin. She’s probably done this for hundreds if not thousands of patients, an expert at it no doubt. But in Seungcheol’s personal opinion, she’s too rough and too casual and he watches her with barely contained fury in his eyes. When she steps away, Jihoon’s hair is combed neat and straight, swept neatly out of his face – she’s even styled it with a side parting and everything. Seungcheol wants to punch her in the face but he knows, nothing would get him kicked out of the hospital faster.

Instead he reaches up and brushes it forward, so it falls onto his forehead the way Jihoon likes it to. So that he looks like his _Jihoon_  and not just another patient. The colour is darker, a warm brown with light flecks of blonde peeking through, but the baby-softness of it is still there, and he curls his fingers through the locks carefully, unable to resist the temptation of it.

Now that he has been cleaned up, he’s barely recognizable under the harsh lights of the hospital. Seungcheol forces himself to quit trying to catalogue every little thing and just take in the most obvious details. His sunken cheeks, the hollowed shadows under his eyes, lips tinged the faintest blue hue. Most visible areas of skin: are covered in bruises, the most prominent are around his throat, collar and wrists. A cannula rests in his nostrils, running the length of one cheekbone, the needle in his wrist and the mask around his mouth his only tether to life.

Yet despite all this, the crushing tightness in Seungcheol’s chest eases somewhat, at just being able to see Jihoon again, hear him breathing, see his fingers twitching against the hospital sheets. He can’t seem to stop stroking his thumb over the pads of Jihoon’s fingers, his skin is so soft, like living satin against his.

“How are you Cheol?” Namjoon breaks the silence from the doorway.

“Good.” Seungcheol’s not sure if it comes out sounding hopelessly optimistic or just sarcastic. He’s too exhausted to give a shit anymore anyhow. He’s only focused on Jihoon’s recovery.

Namjoon just nods, takes the few steps into the room. “They give you a prognosis?”

“He’s sedated for now. It’s too early to say how much smoke he inhaled” Seungcheol reaches up with the arm that isn’t covered in bandages, to gratefully accept the coffee cup Namjoon offers him from the tray in his hand, and gives him a nod of thanks. “They say the symptoms can be ‘asymptomatic’ at first and need to monitor him carefully for the next 48 hours. That’s all they keep telling me. They think he passed out of dehydration early on….and his breathing slowed down so he didn’t inhale as much….fumes or…whatever was floating about in that room” he mimics. “They are helping him breathe with that machine” he says, pointing at the respirator, humming quietly at the side of the bed as the pistons pump, supplementing oxygen in and out of Jihoon’s lungs.

“If you want to take a break Cheol” Namjoon says, hating the way his voice intrudes loudly into the quiet of the room, “I will stay and keep an eye on him.”

Seungcheol shakes his head “Never leaving his side….not again”

Namjoon pats his hand down the back of Seungcheol’s uniform, dusting something distasteful away, then leans towards him. He smiles anaemically “Well….you might have to, your dressing needs to be changed and….have you seen what you look like?” Seungcheol looks down at himself slowly, so caught up with watching Jihoon he hasn’t even glanced at himself once. The remnants of his police officers uniform that haven’t been singed around the edges, are caked in dirt, dust and his own blood. He nods slowly, reflecting on the advice.

“Yeah….I’ll clean up in a minute” he agrees.

“The police came around asking questions, they don’t seem too concerned but…..they pulled Henry’s body out of the building earlier” Namjoon informs “What hap-“

"Don't ask-" Seungcheol warns in a shaky voice, dropping his face into his hands because he can’t think or talk about that right now. The pathologists report will illuminate everything.  He knows he’ll have to cop to it eventually and things might get complicated later, but right now he feels more insecure than he's ever felt, unbalanced and maybe a little desperate.

Namjoon’s eyes widen a bit as he understands the unsaid levels of Seungcheol’s careful words. Needing no further explanation, he sets his hand on Seungcheol’s shoulder. Seungcheol’s eyes flicker to his as he looks up from his hands briefly. They seem hollow. “You did what you had to”

……………………………….

Jihoon wakes to a saline drip in his arm and fluorescent lights blinding his eyes. He doesn’t know what’s happened, he can’t remember how he got here, where he was, or what the hell was going on. The last thing he remembered was Henry: wailing as his life work went up in flames. Despite the ache in his body and what felt like a tube going down his throat, he managed a faint smile at that thought alone. It occurs to him suddenly that he could be **_dead._**

So he opens one eye. The sounds of a hospital -- beeping monitors, low voices, wheeled carts and beds –come into focus. He blinks, tries to sort out the confused images of the last few hours. He remembers the heat of the flames beating relentlessly on his skin, the acrid taste of the smoke fumes clawing their way down his throat.

But he’s in a hospital now, with sterile white sheets, and sterile white walls all around him. He can feel the throbbing pinch of the IV line in his arm, and he itches to tug it out and at the foot of the bed there is a clipboard with spidery handwritten notes - looped over the edge of the rail. The bright lights above hurt, and he grimaces against the pain. When he squeezes his eyes shut and turns his head to dislodge, the entire room swims. His stomach rolls violently.

Jihoon frowns and closes his eyes, raises the hand that's not hampered by the IV line to scrub at his face, but there is a clear plastic mouth over his mouth and nose and he can feel a cannula in his nostrils. He freezes when he hears the creaking of the chair and suddenly the light on his eyelids recedes as a shadow covers him, someone was leaning over him and babbling at him.

“How are you feeling?” an unfamiliar voice asked him.

"Where am I?" he asked or at least tried to mumble around the tube in his mouth, eyes still squeezed shut.

"Hospital, ICU" the man said. He felt him lean over him again, blocking the light further.

When Jihoon opens his eyes, the person hovering over him is a great deal less professional than he would have liked, with a big grin on his face and a lollipop in his mouth. He’s pretty sure the stethoscope around his neck is plastic and aren’t those lollipops only meant for the patients— _the paediatric patients?_

“Dd—octor?” Jihoon gambles.

“Sure…sure” the man says, nodding smugly, then he leans in to whisper very quietly “ **_Psstt.…_** I’m not really a doctor…I’m Jin…from Beta-Tau-Sigma” Jin (apparently) clarifies, still grinning from ear to ear. “But I knew this costume would come in handy….deceived you didn’t I….you thought I was a _real_ doctor….and you felt comforted” Jin said, almost haughtily.

Jihoon feels himself coiling up defensively, he shakes his head weakly because he doesn’t feel comforted at all by that admission. What the hell is Beta-Tau-Sigma doing hovering over his bed? "How'd—I—getttt—ere?" He mumbles a little afraid. Of course, he had been frightened when Henry had him shackled to the wall, but now that he was awake, everything felt _truly_ terrifying, it ran like an ache under the surface of his skin and in his bones, like a cord of nerves down the length of his spine.

"Oh boy, it’s a long story. Too cut it short—creepy bird man asked us to kidnap you—Namjoon said no—creepy bird man kidnapped you himself—Seungcheol went mental—we helped with the search effort—found you—Cheol went to shower and change his bandage—I came in here to check on you, now everyone thinks I’m a doctor and they won’t let me leave alone, they keep calling for me and some guy just showed me his scrotum" Jin replied in less detail than he hoped but it still gave him a lot to think about.

_Cheol_

“ ……he came for me?" Jihoon asked.

Jin looked at him oddly. "Seungcheol?” Jin asks, like he can read Jihoon’s mind “Of course…..who do you think pulled you out of that burning building?" he said, slowly and carefully. “He was so worried about you, hasn’t left your side once” he sputters “But we made him cause he looked like crap…. now you are awake he’s is going to be so happy…..I’ll go fetch him” Jin says, disappearing from his side.

…………………..

When Seungcheol rushes into the room, Jihoon’s eyes are shut. Seungcheol can’t tell if he’s sleeping or unconscious. He’s so listless that Seungcheol stops breathing for a moment, he gets the sudden urge to run towards Jihoon and check his pulse. A cry of anger and panic builds up in his throat. He manages to control himself and checks the monitor that doesn’t broadcast anything untoward.

 _He’s all right,_  Seungcheol tells himself as he comes quietly to Jihoon’s side.  _He’s all right. He’s awake and all the readouts are within acceptable range, he’s all right._

“Baby” he says, low enough that it won’t wake Jihoon if he’s drifted off.

Jihoon’s eyes snap open, a hand reaching out instinctively “Ch-cheeol” he murmurs, his voice sounds hoarse, all wrong, parched with disuse; dry and cracking like earth too many days without rain. Seungcheol’s heart breaks a little more.

It takes a few seconds for Seungcheol to lift his head because he is actually, literally  _afraid_  to look. But when he does, Jihoon is honest-to-God looking back; pupils looking slack and unfocused, hair brushing forward into his eyes just like it should – the strange, waxen look gone in favour of Jihoon’s usual pale alabaster.

“Jihoonie” He croaks, a wave of something that could be relief, but feels like a shot of pure adrenaline, hits him hard enough to make his vision swim. He’s not sure how his hand ended up wrapped around Jihoon’s fingers the way it is, but he presses them to his cheek anyway as if to check they’re not cold.

“ _I knew you would come_ ” Jihoon says softly. And he must be leaning over the boy far too close, because all Jihoon has to do is raise his head a few inches off the pillow and tip it to the side, and then he’s pressing his mouth firmly and squarely against Seungcheol’s. The small contact with Jihoon feels shockingly hot, like the only point of colour and warmth in a cold and white room.

“I knew you would find me” he concludes, letting his head fall back on the pillow again. Suddenly he’s closing his eyes and pressing his lips over Jihoon’s again. And again…and over his eyelids and into his hair and onto his cheeks.

“I’m so—s –orry baby” Seungcheol’s throat is tight, choking on the words and making his voice sound as strained as Jihoon’s does. But Jihoon’s eyes are drooping and he’s trying to fight against the sedative’s pull.

………………………..

Jihoon sees Seungcheol’s mouth move, but for the life of him, can’t seem to hear the words. Jihoon blinks to clear his head and his swimming vision, his eyelids heavy and dragging.  _I’ll close my eyes_ , he thinks,  _just for a little while._

Distantly, he registers slumping further into his pillow, something warm and solid smooths against his cheek, and he turns his face into it. The smell is evocative, a unique comforting musk, a little like the wild smell of the air just before an intense, thundering storm. _Seungcheol._

When Jihoon drifts back to consciousness again, pain is an afterthought, a barely-registered blip in his perception. The sedatives and cocktail of drugs they must have pumped into his system are still present, making his movements sluggish and his mind unresponsive. Seungcheol hovers over where he is sprawled on the bed, expression unreadable as he leans over Jihoon, studying the ridiculous beep-machine which is having some kind of malfunction.

Seungcheol drops his gaze to meet his “You scared me kitten” he whispers.

“I love you,” Jihoon tells him, but it comes out jumbled enough to let Jihoon know that he  _is_  on enough sedatives to fell a horse. Jihoon is a little worried Seungcheol thinks he’s letting the drugs lower his inhibitions and speak on his behalf from the suspicious way his eyes scrunch up. Although the mixture of sedatives are keeping him quite buzzed, it doesn’t stop his confession from being any less true.

“It’s not the drugs Cheol…..” he clarifies “I do love you. I was on my way….to speak to you, to te-” Jihoon cuts himself off, and strangled noises start and die in his throat before he collects himself and resumes. “I wanted to tell you how I felt…and that’s when Henry kidnapped me”

Seungcheol isn’t sure what his face is doing in that moment, he’s a little blindsided by Jihoon’s admission and all the words he wants to say are pitifully inadequate and stuck in his throat anyway. He searches Jihoon’s level gaze for some hint of the panic or confusion that had been there before, but he saw nothing. Jihoon was awake, lucid and those eyes are open and staring right at him with so much sincerity. He can hear himself choking over his reply and then Jihoon is laughing – his hands are brushing over Seungcheol’s face and his jawline, smoothing the hair off his forehead.

“Oh-god Jihoonie…I love you so much“ he says, relieved with this unexpected swell and break in the walls holding back the unspoken things building between them. “I’m so sorry for hurting you” Seungcheol says, when Jihoon lets out another choked-up laugh and reaches up to rub a thumb at something wet in the corner of Seungcheol’s eye.

 Jihoon frowns, not quite understanding. “Hurting me? What? …..Sorry for what?” he asks.

 Seungcheol pulls up the lone chair in the room and takes Jihoon’s hand carefully. His heart is still pounding with adrenaline and fear and he needs to touch Jihoon, needs to convince himself that Jihoon is alive. “For failing to protect you…..for avoiding you, it’s all my fault” he whispers.

 Jihoon’s fingers tighten on his. “Stop—it’s not your fault. Don’t say that” he says, shifting anxiously, voice fretful.

 “Beta-Tau-Sigma warned me that…somebody was stalking you….I should have called you that instant, protected you. But I delayed because….I didn’t know how to protect you without smothering you and…I knew you would hate that” he says gently, leaning forward and brushing Jihoon’s cheek as delicately as he knows how.

 “Oh.” Jihoon is up to speed now; he blames exhaustion and the sedatives for not realizing immediately, he’s almost forgotten about their imposed distance before all of this happened.

That strange distance between Seungcheol and him had Jihoon constantly on the knife-edge, frustrated and tired and run entirely ragged. Days of words unspoken and misunderstandings-on-loop steal the breath from his lungs, and it almost hurts to breathe again recalling them.

Although, Seungcheol thinking he had anything to apologize for worried him a bit. Jihoon shakes his head; the motion makes his nasal cannula slip out and Seungcheol reaches forward to readjust it “No Cheol…. _I hurt you_ …” he says, lifting his head and trying to inch closer to the other boy. “I avoided you too….I was afraid of how fast this was all going”

“What?” Seungcheol asks, brows furrowing.

Jihoon is furious with himself, he almost wishes he could slap himself for letting such brutal honesty slip out, and it occurs to him that having this conversation just off the high of sedatives and a whole bunch of drugs may be a bad idea. “I was afraid…because we haven’t known each other long and….what I was feeling for you made me confused and scared. Then when we didn’t speak….it was so awful Cheol…I was so miserable…just the idea of not being with you…terrified me even more. I was more terrified that I would never get to tell you how I felt.” he murmurs.

Some part of Jihoon’s tired brain whispers— _More terrified of that then of anything Henry would do to me._

He suddenly has a sickening thought: _What if Henry was still out there?_ He jerked up into a sitting position, which sent a searing pain down his side and all of his breath leaves him with dizzying immediacy. The world seems to tilt slightly, but the feeling is too quick to be oxygen deprivation. He’s having a panic attack—fear was starting to tighten in his chest.

Seungcheol watches Jihoon struggling with the bedsheets, as if he’s trying to get out of bed; he is obliged to place his hands on Jihoon’s shoulders. He doesn’t even need to apply pressure, just the minimal weight of his hands does the trick, and Jihoon sinks back down against the pillows. “Woah-woah… _Shhh_ ….it’s okay…relax kitten, you need to relax” Seungcheol reassures him, hands cupping his cheeks as he leans in to press a soft kiss to Jihoon’s forehead.

“But…Henry….where is he! Have they caught him!? Is he alive?” Jihoon panics.

“No, Jihoon— **he’s dead** ” Seungcheol responds immediately, completely certain, his voice a thunderclap in the silent room. Jihoon wants to ask him ‘How can you be so sure?’, but Seungcheol wouldn’t lie to him right now. Seungcheol shifts to sit behind him on the bed, encircles the smaller boy in his arms.

Jihoon takes a shuddery breath and lets himself lean into Seungcheol heavily, tilting his head back and closing his eyes, feeling safe in the older boy’s embrace.

 _‘Good_ ’-he sighed, looking relieved but it dawned on him how close he had come to dying. His head was pounding, a raging headache coming on fast. Seungcheol helps him readjust his position to sit more comfortably against his chest.

Jihoon looks down at his lap, breathing shallow around what Seungcheol expects might be tears. “He was gonna kill me Cheol” he whimpers, raw with an edge of vulnerability, shakily clawing onto Seungcheol’s arms “He kept sayin he was…going to transform me…I was so scared” Seungcheol closes his eyes and presses a kiss to Jihoon’s head, rocking him back and forth.

……………………………

Serendipitously, Jin has convinced the rest of the medical staff to allow Jihoon to have visitors outside of visiting hours. They _actually_ seem to think he’s a doctor. It isn’t an angle Seungcheol thinks about exploiting until now, and although none of the nurses recognise him and he doesn’t have a medical staff ID, they don’t press the issue. Apparently, all it takes to get clearance in a hospital is a white lab coat, a stethoscope and the ability to spew out nonsensical medical terminology with confidence.  It’s a little disconcerting, but Jin’s very good at it.

“Everyone wants to see you….we’ll have to let them in soon. Do you think you’ll be up for that?” Seungcheol informs Jihoon, carefully tucking the blankets more tightly around him.

“Yeah…I can practically hear Seungkwan’s pacing in the hallway.” Jihoon laughs.

Not a moment later the door swings open “Jihoonie!” Seungkwan rushes to his side immediately, hugging him tightly “Thank god you’re okay! I was so worried we would never find you!” He cries, tearing up for a moment before gasping “What happened to your hair? It’s amazing! How did you find time to get a cut and blow dry when all this was happening?”

Jihoon resists rolling his eyes at the typical Seungkwanian shift in behaviour “Henry…..cut it…” he trails off, ruffling his locks, suddenly very self-conscious. He means to add something witty at the end, to soothe the frown that suddenly creases everyone’s face, but all he can think of is,  _At least I got something useful out of all of this._  It’s not so much witty as bleakly tragic so he settles for a wan smile instead.  Seungcheol who has been standing still next to the bed, puts his hand over Jihoon’s shoulder, subtle but protective.

“Really?” Seungkwan said, perplexed “Okay-that’s ….a _lotta_ creepy”

The fake doctor comes bounding in then, with a clipchart in his hand, followed by a police officer and somebody Jihoon has never met before. “There he is….sleeping beauty is wide awake!” the stranger sings, walking in to the room, hands held out in a open-hearted gesture.

Jihoon looks at him, tilting his head a little in confusion. “Who the hell are you?” he asks, but turns his head to peer up at Seungcheol for the answer.

Namjoon’s shoulder’s droop. “Oh yeah….I forgot we’ve never met….but it _feels_ like I know you because I had hundreds of photographs of you on my phone!”

“Wh—what?” Jihoon squawks.

Seungcheol chuckles, but quietens when Jihoon shoots him a quelling look “Oh..sorry.…it’s a long story..uhm..This is my friend Namjoon, from Beta-Tau-Sigma. He was the one who warned me about your stalker”

“Oh….okay. That makes more sense now….I think…uhm….thanks Namjoon” Jihoon said a small smile gracing his lips. His eyes dart anxiously between Namjoon’s happy smile and the police officer, who’s standing with his arms crossed and his legs braced so wide apart he might as well be doing the splits. “Do…..are you here to ask me questions?” he asks tentatively.

“Who me? Oh…I’m not a real cop” Jungkook said, grinning “But I _totally_ pass for one don’t I? Yeah…. I thought so! I’m just wearing this cause me and Cheol pretended to be police officers earlier….and I didn’t have time to change. _Actually,_ that’s a lie…I didn’t WANT to change! Hey…Cheol-Hyung, what happened to your costume?” Jungkook asks.

“Had to bin it….It’s a mess….pretty much destroyed” Seungcheol said, nodding glumly before turning to see Jihoon’s equally downcast expression “I’m sorry Jihoonie, it got singed and….dirty…and ripped” he defended.

“Hey, don’t worry ….he can borrow mine” Jungkook offered with a smile, that quickly turned lecherous “As long as you promise to wash it if you decide to do some kinky shit with it” he adds, glancing between them with a sort of wry twist to his mouth.

Jihoon hits Seungcheol hard in the arm, “You told him!” he gasped in shock, the tips of his ears faintly blushing.

“I didn’t tell him anything!” Seungcheol countered with a breathless laugh.

Jungkook starts laughing, Jihoon glances at him, and he’s looking between him and Seungcheol with an absolutely bemused expression. _“I knew it”_ he says, still snickering.

Namjoon face palmed. “God..Kookie, you’re like a headache…outside of my body” he groaned.

The door opens again and the fake doctor returns with Wonwoo and Vernon in tow. Behind them Mingyu is trotting to keep up despite limping pretty badly on his left leg.

“Hey guys! Uh..Mingyu….you’re limping….what happened?” Jihoon asks, concerned as Mingyu shuffles over to give him a hug.

“Seungcheol-Hyung kneed me _in the balls_ ” Mingyu explains casually.

“Cheol!” Jihoon whips his head around again to face his sheepish boyfriend

“I—I…“ Seungcheol begins to say, but Mingyu places a reassuring hand on his.

“It’s okay…..he had to….although I may feel differently about it if my left testicle doesn’t drop down again” Mingyu joked.

After a flurry of visits from people he knew and introductions from people he really didn’t, Not-A-Docto-Jin reappeared at the door, a stern expression on his face. “I must insist that my patient gets some rest now, I think he’s had enough excitement for one day…. so if you can please wrap this visit up” He explained.

Namjoon rounded on him, looking very flustered “Jin! What the fuck, you’re not even a doctor what are you still doing wearing that costume!” he hissed.

Jin crossed his arms and levelled him with severe look “ **Hey** ….I’ve pulled a lot of strings to get you guys in here! Everyone here thinks I’m a respected medical professional and I’ve even been invited to Nurse Nim’s birthday celebration next week and if I don’t put my foot down and start throwing my weight around they’re going to get suspicious!” He argued.

“Alright, alright….Come on Namjoon” Mingyu gestured, limping towards the door “We need to go bail Hoshi out of Jail” Mingyu states, patting the foot of Jihoon’s bed as he passed “It’s good to have you back Jihoonie, we’ll catch up at home”

“Thank Min--….. **wait** …. _Hoshi’s in jail?”_ Jihoon stated, eyebrows raised in disbelief, he turns to Seungcheol who avoids his gaze too well for it to be accidental.

“It’s a long story Jihoonie” Mingyu deflects. There will be a time and place to explain things to Jihoon, when he’s fully recovered. “I’m sure Cheol-Hyung will tell you everything when you two get some more privacy” Mingyu says, incalculable, cracking a smile that is just shy of brittle.

Jihoon makes an annoyed sound in the back of his throat, but smiles back and levels a probing stare at Seungcheol, eyes searching. “Okay…” he says, in two long drawn out syllables. He wants to know what’s he missed out on. “This sounds like one hell of a story” he says, the turn of his smile now a little accusatory.

“Hyung!” Jun gasps, startling everyone as he bolts through the door suddenly “You won’t believe who just limped into the ICU with three broken ribs and a concussion!” he offers. Seungcheol shrugs his shoulders and shakes his head.

“Jin-Young!” Jun laughs “He was filling out paperwork at the nurses station when he saw me and DK sitting in the waiting room. He practically shat his pants! He probably thinks we’re watching him or something and that you’re waiting for him to make another wrong move and beat him up again!”

“You—wha-“ Jihoon says, and then catches himself staring and gaping, and reins himself into a carefully composed formation “You hospitalised Jin-Young?” he asks, raising an eyebrow, gesturing for Seungcheol to explain.

“Well….yeah but…it’s a long story ” Seungcheol replies, as if it’s an appropriate explanation, but Jihoon can hear something in his voice that sounds just as confused as he is.

“I better get going too” Jungkook sighs “ While Namjoon and Mingyu keep the police busy with releasing Hoshi, I’m going to discreetly return the police cruiser we stole” Jungkook informs him, swinging the patrol keys around his index finger.

 **“You ….stole a police car?”** Jihoon croaks, staring at Jungkook’s retreating back blankly for a minute, before meeting Seungcheol’s eyes, clearly asking,  _Are you fucking serious?_

“Uh….yeah….it’s…..it’s a-…” Seungcheol stutters.

“Say It’s a long story one more time… **I dare you!”** Jihoon seethes.  
  
……………………….

Jihoon insists that he’s ready to be discharged. The doctor on call, the real doctor that is, is skeptical but after checking his vitals, the results of his radiograph and updating his medical notes he is satisfied that Jihoon is making an appropriate recovery and signs off on the discharge order.

The hospital supplies him with a nebulizer to take home with him for emergencies, a few inhalers, a prophylactic course of antibiotics, painkillers and a warning to rest and not exert himself for the next few days.

Seungcheol wheels him out to the front of the hospital and carefully settles him in the car.

For just a second, belted carefully into the passenger with Seungcheol checking up on him at every light they catch, Jihoon fears that Seungcheol is taking him back to his dorm room. Just the thought of being back in that room, the one he shared with Henry and unknowingly became his stalking victim, disturbs him greatly. He starts to panic and reaches out to seek Seungcheol’s hand for comfort.

“What’s wrong…are you ok? Are you comfortable? Do you want me to pull over?” Seungcheol asks glancing at Jihoon fleetingly before re-affixing his eyes to the road. It occurs to him that Jihoon must think he’s taking him back to his dorm, because for a moment, Jihoon’s eyes look huge and genuinely scared as they drive towards the campus.

“Wh-where are we going Cheol?” He stutters, pulse fluttering in his throat.

“ _Home,_ baby….I’m taking you back to the frat house” Seungcheol says, shifting his gaze from the road to Jihoon when they stop at another set of traffic lights.

“Oh….ok…..that’s okay” He says, tangibly relaxing again. His mouth turns up at the edges and Seungcheol is relieved to see the realisation dawn on his face.

“Jihoonie” Seungcheol says, almost as if he sensed his concern “I hope you don’t mind but I’ve moved your stuff out of the dorm. It’s all at mine now. You’re staying with me…..I know you like your independence….but that’s…just too bad” he said, a slight humorous lilt to his voice that Jihoon couldn’t help giggling at.

“That’s okay Cheol…..I was hoping you would say that” He says quietly.

“Yeah? You don’t mind?” Seungcheol says, trying to put into his voice that he is floored but sort of a little bit delighted that Jihoon isn’t resistant to the idea.

Seungcheol pulls into the drive, parks up and jumps out of the car. Jihoon tries to fumble with his belt but his fingertips feel a little numb, sedative still wearing off and by the time he palms the belt buckle, Seungcheol has opened the door and reaches over to unbuckle it for him. He takes his arm on the steps up to the porch—just the slight pressure of his hand right above Jihoon’s elbow, his fingers curling warm around the bicep as he guides him carefully up the steps.

It’s comforting to be back in the house, surrounded by familiar faces. The moment Jihoon walks through the door, he practically gets mauled by DK, Jun and Vernon with overly enthusiastic hugs and supremely condescending pats on the head. Hoshi is there too and gets a hug with the added customary light punch on the shoulder, a silent _‘you idiot-thanks for going to jail for me’_ gesture. Hoshi smiled sheepishly, he looked fine though, if maybe a little bruised around the edges from rough-housing with 5 police officers. He was still as insufferable as ever, but Jihoon liked that about him.

Namjoon and Mingyu had spoken to the police, spinning a story about Hoshi missing out on a dose of his 'bi-polar' medication resulting in a manic episode. Officer Wan was mildly suspicious but agreed to release him following a phone call from Hoshi’s psychiatrist, _Doctor Jin._

Seungcheol is especially pleased to see Hoshi and announces “This might not sound like a compliment but Hosh is the best psycho we have ever had in this house, you guys should have seen the distraction he gave us!” and Hoshi preens under the **_not compliment_**.

Mingyu makes Jihoon take a seat in the kitchen and feeds him his first proper meal in days, it’s hot and delicious and a far cry from the canteen food he had no appetite for last week and the bland as fuck hospital food he’s been pushing queasily around his plate.

They all ate, and tried to veer off the topic of recent events as much as possible, choosing to let Hoshi ramble on about his plans to get some action now that he was a ‘legitimate’ criminal with a record and Jihoon was sure he was going to strain something trying not to laugh.

………………………………….

When they get to Seungcheol’s room, _now their room_ , that night, Jihoon lies back on the soft comforter and stares at the ceiling for a while. He listens to Seungcheol move around the room,  humming something to himself, a tune that sounds a lot like a certain song they sang together many months ago. He doesn’t think it’s deliberate, Seungcheol’s humming the tune like there’s nobody around he has to put on a show for. It feels… _domestic?_ Jihoon grins and presses the heel of his hand to his mouth so he won’t say something stupid out loud; he settles for just thinking it instead.

“Are you ok?” Seungcheol ventures at last, which is the most idiotic question ever, but he can’t say  _nothing_.

Jihoon reflects on that, he wants to curl up into a ball, bury himself against Seungcheol’s chest under the sheets and escape from the world, even if only for scant hours. He’s so wrung-out and exhausted he could sleep instantly, but he feels sticky and sweaty and detests the antiseptic scent prevailing in his nostrils “Yeah” Jihoon sighs half-heartedly from the bed, “I think I might have a shower, wash the hospital smell off of me.”

Seungcheol hums in agreement “It might make you feel better, relax you before you go to sleep” he said, reaching down to give Jihoon a helping hand off the bed. “I need to sort some stuff out with the guys downstairs, I’ll be back soon” he added, then gave Jihoon a peck on the cheek, gently hip-checked him in the direction of the bathroom, and disappeared downstairs.

…………………….

“Jihoonie?” Seungcheol called out, walking back into the bedroom and closing the door.

"Yeah, I'm here," he called, and a moment later Jihoon padded out of the bathroom wearing a pair of boxers and a towel wrapped around his shoulders. His skin was a healthier shade of pink from the shower, rivulets of water dripping from under his hair and down his face. Seungcheol just gaped at him stupidly, distracted by the pink in his cheeks and the way his fringe curled over his brow.  He was _beautiful._

Seungcheol’s mouth twists then, as he studies the exhausted slope of Jihoon’s shoulders, the dark bags under his eyes, purpling bruises of fatigue that refuse to fade. His eyes were red-rimmed, shadowed bruises glinting hard when he raised his head under the lamplight.

“I know you’re sick of hearing this…but….are you ok?” Seungcheol murmured, reaching over and mussing his hair for probably the second or third time that day

Jihoon smiled tenderly at him "Yeah Hyung… I’m fine" His hands were shaking and he closed them into a fist, scrubbing at his face. When he lowered them again, Seungcheol had walked to the thermostat to check the temperature.

Jihoon towels his hair dry as he pulls open a few drawers, searching for something. He spent a minute or so just frowning at the contents of his drawers, which gave Seungcheol a stupendous view of the elegant slope of his back. Jihoon by-passes the drawers filled with his own clothes, instead opting to open another and pulling out one of Seungcheol’s t-shirt’s and slipping it over his head. 

Seungcheol is hit with a rush of longing to scoop him up in his arms and kiss him senseless, and when Jihoon turns around to face him, his mouth tilts into some kind of smile that makes Jihoon squirm visibly. “There was a time….you didn’t like wearing my t-shirts” he says, running an appreciative hand down the front of Jihoon’s chest.

“I know…..” Jihoon murmurs shyly, fingering the edge of the oversized T-Shirt “But …I wanted to wear something that smells like you” he says, cheeks flushing.  

“Yeah?” Seungcheol says, gaze still thoughtful and soft, single syllable tinged with knowing. “If you like how I smell so much…how about you just wear me?” he suggests, ignoring Jihoon’s eye roll as he crushes him into a hug. Jihoon doesn’t smell like smoke or that medical smell anymore, he smells amazing: like Jihoon, and laundry soap, and shampoo and general  _alive-ness_. Seungcheol buries his nose in the soft hair and sniffs him.

He pulls back enough to see Jihoon start to pull the face he does before he makes a snarky comment, but at the last second, he changes, and sags into Seungcheol’s arms slightly. “I missed you so much Cheol” he says, so softly it’s more breath than sound. Jihoon’s hands instinctively loop around the taller boys neck and he rests his cheek on the firm chest, breathing him in too.  

“Do you mind….if I borrow your t-shirt….for tonight” Jihoon asks quietly. He hates himself, because his voice sounds small and lonely, like a child.

“Are you serious? _Of course not_ , If I had my way… you’d wear nothing but my clothes” He laughs, giving Jihoon a soft squeeze as he hugs him closer. On instinct he reaches out and cups Jihoon by the back of the neck, pushes fingers bluntly up into the hair at the nape, tangling in the half-wet strands just starting to mat and curl against the skin. “I love when you wear my stuff...You know…..the first night you stayed here, the night we … _’kidnapped’_ you. When you came out of the bathroom, wearing my t-shirt…..you were **so** hot I nearly creamed myself just looking at you” he whispered. He still treasured that memory.

Jihoon glances up at him, surprised, “Fuck off…..you’re kidding right? I thought I looked ridiculous…I felt ridiculous. _I feel ridiculous now!”_ he giggled.

Seungcheol meets his eyes, a weighted gaze. “No, I’m serious….it was so hot. Yeah I realise we didn’t know each other very well but it freaked me out how,….turned on I was. You were so gorgeous. Are gorgeous. _Always_ ”

He smiles before tugging Jihoon brusquely into him, angling down and pushing their mouths sweetly together. Jihoon’s mouth is hot and sweet and his lower lips feels like wet velvet when Seungcheol slips his tongue against it. Jihoon shivers all down his body as Seungcheol shoves his hands under his shirt and against his bare skin, cupping his lower back and wrenching their hips tightly together.

Jihoon’s response is just as zealous; sharp, surprised breaths going hard and ragged as Seungcheol’s advances bring the bed bumping up against his knees; mouth soft but demanding; hands scrabbling for purchase on broad shoulders. Jihoon, shoving himself up against Seungcheol’s body everywhere like he’s got to get everything he can like Seungcheol might disappear.

“ _Cheol_ ” Jihoon murmurs into Seungcheol’s gasping mouth. Pushing himself into Seungcheol’s arms like he’ll die if they stop, as if he can’t breathe without Seungcheol’s hands on his skin, his mouth against his throat.

“I was so lost without you Jihoonie” Seungcheol says, haltingly in the breaks between each meeting of their mouths. Their eyes meet, making Jihoon feel hot under the collar of his shirt. Jihoon breaks the kiss to step back and pulls the t-shirt over his head, letting it fall to the floor as he approaches Seungcheol, who tracks his every move with half-lidded, faintly predatory eyes. Jihoon smile is full-blown now, promising pleasure and sticky sin.

Seungcheol is gradually aware of his state of arousal in growing increments, desire and protectiveness combined ramping up his already hyperactive, hormone-ridden libido. He lets Jihoon pull him back down into a hard kiss that tastes like desperation and searing want at the edges, but nudges Jihoon’s roaming hands away from the buttons of his jeans. In the dim light of the room, he catches the flicker of Jihoon’s confusion. “Oh-no-no” he chides gently.

This was moving a lot faster than Seungcheol had intended. It was meant to be a sweet, chaste kiss and now they were practically rutting against each other, the weight and heat of Jihoon against him is dangerous and exotic and too tempting. Seungcheol involuntarily backs away, the protective side of his subconscious overriding the baser part that wants nothing more than to sink his cock inside Jihoon.

He fumbles to removes Jihoon’s hands from the front of his jeans and brings them to his sides. “You can’t over exert yourself….you heard what the doctor said. _You—need—rest_ ” Seungcheol reminded, guiding him towards the top of the bed. A brief flash of an emotion Seungcheol can’t name flits across Jihoon’s face, gone before he can be sure it was there in the first place.

Jihoon collects himself slowly. The sharp lines of his grin fade away and his posture softens into innocence. He drops his head forward and a few strands of hair fall into his face. He’s close enough that Seungcheol can smell the fresh scent of his shampoo as he whispers, “I’m not going to break Cheol” Jihoon tells him, voice quiet now, and if Seungcheol knew Jihoon as well as he did, he’d say it was hurt and confusion colouring his tone.

“Jihoonie…I…can’t”

Jihoon sighs and leans away from Seungcheol "How long should I expect to be treated like glass for Hyung?" he asked meaningfully, a hawkeye on the other boy.

Seungcheol's shoulders tightened for a beat. Jihoon was a master at reading people's emotions, and perhaps Seungcheol had not been as subtle as he had thought. He only turned to regard Jihoon, dark eyes wary. “Jihoonie, kitten….You _just_ got discharged. What were you expecting me to do? Throw you on the bed and cannonball in? I’m gonna treat you like glass, **_probably_** for the next **_month_**. I need to look after you” he soothed.

Jihoon makes a sound of distress, a sound that dies when Seungcheol forges on. “I want to do…so many things to you…. But that would be a bad idea.” he murmurs, shaking his head when Jihoon opens his mouth to protest. “You need rest—food and lots of sleep” Seungcheol continues. “Until you recover, please, let’s just take it slow”

“So…you’re going to do the whole…no sex thing again? Cause you’re afraid that you will _hurt me?”_ Jihoon asks, voice gravely and sweet with sarcasm.

Seungcheol chuckled “ _No_ ….we both know how well that worked last time…” he said, a little sheepish at his poor resolve in the face of Jihoon’s desire. “I just don’t think sex the first day you get discharged from hospital is a good idea”

Jihoon watches at him carefully, holding Seungcheol’s gaze with intent. Whatever he sees there seems to satisfy him, and finally, he nods to himself more than Seungcheol and says “You’re probably right…..but…we can still make out yeah? With our clothes off” Jihoon suggested, then heard his own words and did a full body flush in embarrassment.

“Yeah! Sure!” Seungcheol agrees quickly. A grin plastering on his face that swiftly turns to surprise as Jihoon begins tearing at his clothes with a nimble efficiency that has them lying in a rumpled and urgent trail to Seungcheol’s bed so fast it makes his head spin.

They’re both naked now, staring and breathing hard, lust and arduous emotions making the ample room small. Seungcheol’s left hand makes sort of an aborted gesture in the vague direction of his bed, but neither of them says anything as they climb under the covers. Jihoon slides on top of him, slotting his thigh between Seungcheol’s legs, pillows his head against Seungcheol’s bare shoulder, nuzzling into the solid warmth as the gentle rise and fall of his chest soothes him. He feels Seungcheol’s fingers, a light and warm touch ghosting across the back of his neck, threading through his hair stroking and stroking, painfully gentle.

He tips his head back onto Seungcheol’s shoulder at the same time that Seungcheol ducks his to ghost the tip of his nose along Jihoon’s jaw. Seungcheol tangles his fingers in Jihoon’s damp hair and sears a line of hard, sucking kisses along the pink skin of his jaw. Jihoon moaned and drew in a sharp breath, so he added one more kiss for good measure.

Seungcheol rolls over so that Jihoon is caged between his arms, his knees slot in between Jihoon’s thighs, his weight pins Jihoon down into the mattress, pressing and pushing and just trying to get closer and closer until it felt like their bodies took over for them, fitting themselves together and overlapping in all the right places. Seungcheol begins lavishing attention on Jihoon’s body, kissing his wrists and his eyelids and, gently, the hollow of his throat. He runs his hands achingly slowly across Jihoon’s skin and trails his mouth up the same path his hands take, smiling against the silkiness of Jihoon’s stomach.

Jihoon smells especially good underneath him; sweet and wild, unlike anything else. When Seungcheol reaches the pale column of his throat he pauses for a moment, caught off guard by the ring of bruises along Jihoon’s neck, faint blue and purple fingerprints that blend like watercolours.

Seungcheol presses his lips gently over a bruise, where he can hear Jihoon’s pulse and see the blue blood of crisscrossing veins and he breathes against the ivory soft skin for a moment. Jihoon goes liquid immediately in his arms, suddenly fantastically pliant, shifting his head so Seungcheol’s lips slide down the delicate column of his throat.

Jihoon hums his approval, blinking lazily. He shifts so Seungcheol’s hips slip into place against his own and they both let out a harsh breath when their cocks slide against each other, Jihoon swallows Seungcheol’s gasp in another kiss.

“I don’t - ” Seungcheol starts, his words abruptly muffled by Jihoon’s mouth, hard and desperate and wanting on his, throwing himself into the kiss as much as he can, touch-starved after days without Seungcheol.

“Cheol” Jihoon gasps when they finally break apart, Seungcheol looks almost weighted with desire. “Hm—Cheol….I love you so much”

“I love you too Jihoonie” Seungcheol whispers back reverently.

Then Jihoon is shifting his hips up and down a little and Seungcheol pulls away, hand splayed across Jihoon’s stomach and eyes searching on his. He must have found what he was looking for, because he nods once before his expression evolves into  _something_ , unyielding and unwavering. Seungcheol kissed his neck, over and over, so gentle while his hips moved so deliciously rough.

Soon they were hot and sticky between the sheets, panting open-mouthed, sloppy kisses into each other’s mouth; hands dipping and trailing over sweaty skin like sweet, congealed sin. Jihoon ventured his hand lower and took Seungcheol’s cock in his hand, hard and smooth, fingers tracing every expanse of it, rubbing his slit and slipping slightly under his foreskin.  
  
Seungcheol groaned, throaty and deep, and had managed to moan, “Jihoonie, baby wait,  _ah_ , just hold up - ” Jihoon had paused, hand stilling but not leaving the heady weight of Seungcheol’s cock, head tilting slightly to the side in question. Seungcheol looks up at him and swallows visibly. It’s somewhat surreal. Jihoon has never seen Seungcheol this nervous in bed before and it makes him feel itchy under his own skin. “You’re not meant to exert yo-” he tries to say, looking more self-conscious than Jihoon’s ever seen.

“Give it up Cheol…..we both know It’s too late for that” Jihoon interrupts, giving him that look that makes Seungcheol feel like he retains the brain function of a goldfish. He reaches over to the bedside cabinet and fishes for the bottle of lube he knows is there.

“But …I need to care for-“ He begins to argue before Jihoon desperately slants his lips over his, swallowing his words and trying, just  _trying_  so hard to take what he was going to say away. When they drew apart, Seungcheol starts to open his mouth but snaps it shut when Jihoon presses his index finger lightly to his lips.  
  
“Sshhh” Jihoon murmured, and with Seungcheol’s cock still in hand, he lubed him up, lined it up with his hole and sunk down on it. That seemed to reset Seungcheol to his default setting— _horny_ —Jihoon took advantage of the moment, gripping the breadth of Seungcheol shoulders.

“Ahh—Jihoonie—you--ah” Seungcheol gulped around a moan.

Jihoon only hummed and obligingly rocked down, legs parted wide, knees pressing into the mattress on either side of Seungcheol’s thighs. “I need this—please” Jihoon started, soft and breathless, it may have been a plea, though it still sounded more like an order than anything else. His cock rubbed against Seungcheol’s abdomen, hips jolting up as he felt the cock inside him nudge a bundle of nerves, releasing an exquisite tingle up his spine. “I need to feel you Cheol”

Seungcheol groaned lowly, clamped both hands down on his hips to drag him down again. Jihoon’s body surged up again, one hands fisting in Seungcheol’s hair, nails scraping along his scalp.

“I need you too kitten” Seungcheol said into his ear, adjusting his hold until he was spreading him wide and he guided him down on his cock again.

 _“Ah-ahhh”_ Jihoon said, sounding quite serene. _“Fuck—yes”_

Seungcheol handed control over to him for a little while, content to sit back and watch him moan, tremble and shake as he sank down over and over again, slow and easy as time went lax and hazy around them. Jihoon’s head fell forward until their foreheads touched. Seungcheol cupped his cheeks tenderly, kissed the small slack mouth as he thumbed the twin sweeps of his cheekbones.

“Cheol—ahh— _s’good_ ” Jihoon whispered, working him deeper as Seungcheol’s warm fingers curled against the backs of his thighs. “I—please” he whined.

“Yes baby” Seungcheol whispered back. He drew the back of his fingers up the underside of Jihoon’s cock, kissed the moan from his mouth when Jihoon started to say his name but only managed to come up with a tiny desperate whimper in response to the touch.

“You’re so beautiful— _so good_ ” Seungcheol marvelled, stroking down his belly. He curled a warm hand around Jihoon’s length, slowly brought him to the brink until they were both covered in sweat and Jihoon’s cock was dripping between his fingers.

“I—oh-god-- _Cheollie_ ” Jihoon was stuttering, squirming down onto him and trying to fuck his hand at the same time. He seemed incapable of forcing out more than a word at a time.

Jihoon braced his palms against Seungcheol’s chest, rutting against him with more fervour now, dropping himself down on the thick cock and fucking into the circle of Seungcheol’s fist on the rise up. Seungcheol swiped his thumb across the oversensitive head of Jihoon’s cock and jerked him tightly, giving a slow roll of his hips. Revelling in the moment when Jihoon tipped his face to the ceiling, cried out and somehow, impossibly, clenched around him even harder.

And that was enough to make Seungcheol convulse and come, a heartbeat after the smaller boy’s release spurted between his fingers, his muscles contracting around Seungcheol’s cock over and over again.

When they were done, Jihoon spent and wrung out, draped across Seungcheol’s chest, his cock still buried inside Jihoon’s body, Seungcheol admonished him.

“I can’t believe you tricked me…. _twice”_ Seungcheol tittered  “You need to be reined in“ he said sarcastically, though his dimples ruin the attempt at chastisement.

“Making out— _naked_ —under the covers. What did you think was going to happen?” Jihoon spat, flushed and gasp-laughing and gorgeous and looking so pleased with himself.

Seungcheol just grinned, dimples flickering into view. He smoothed his hand softly over Jihoon’s back, stroking from the crest of his butt, up towards the nape of his neck, tugging their mouths closer and closer together, until they’re sharing the same oxygen, until they’re kissing again.

………………….

When Jihoon opened his eyes the next morning, he was pleasantly surprised to find Seungcheol still in bed, wrapped around him. Usually, Seungcheol is up at the crack of dawn and Jihoon has to contend with the cold side of the pillow for a few hours. But here he was, awake and watching him.

Seungcheol was watching him, a focused look in his eyes, the way you looked at something when you wanted to be able to recreate it from memory later. He smiles fondly at Jihoon as he turned in his arms.

“Cheol….You’re never in bed when I wake up” Jihoon mumbles, still half asleep. “This is nice” he adds, running his fingers through Seungcheol’s bed hair.

“Yeah…” Seungcheol murmurs into Jihoon’s ear, sliding an arm luxuriously across Jihoon’s exposed stomach. “Well…Things are gonna change around here…..starting with that” he said softly, ducking down to initiate a kiss.

They drowsed side by side in the bed for a while, kissing slowly, eyes slid half-closed until they’re interrupted by a knock on the door and Seungcheol pushes himself off the bed “Don’t move…I’ll be right back” he promises.

Seungcheol hesitates for second, then thinks better of answering the door stark naked. He quickly slips on a pair of boxers before swinging the door open to find a very nervous looking Mingyu standing there, wringing his hands together.

“Hey Min-uhh…What’s up?” He questioned, eyebrow raised.

Mingyu presses his lips together in a thin, tense line. He quickly darts his eyes from Seungcheol, to Jihoon and back to Seungcheol again, before whispering quietly enough, that only Seungcheol to hear.

“Cheol….the police are downstairs”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello.  
> 1) Sorry  
> 2) Sorry some more  
> 3) Seriously hard to write about EVERYONE. I just had to be picky and selected a few people. I'm sure Jihoon met everyone who helped him out and thanked them but i could not write about it all.


End file.
